Open Faced Tuna Salad Sami

When I think of a tuna salad sandwich, I think of the 2nd grade. My mom used to make me tuna sandwiches almost every day and, as you can imagine, my lunch was not very popular with my school buddies. The smell of the sandwich was always very strong--probably from being in my school bag for 4 hours--and it tasted more like a mayo-tuna sandwich on soggy, white Bimbo bread. Years later, when I was in college, I refused to make tuna sandwiches. Even if I was dirt poor, I refused to buy any cans of tuna. I guess you can say tuna left a bad taste in my mouth. Now, as a grown up(!) I realize that tuna is not so bad after all. It was a perfect piece of Ahi tuna I had at Peohe's that changed my mind forever. Since then, I love everything tuna; tuna steaks, tuna rolls, tuna tartar, tuna casserole and, yes, even tuna sandwiches. I saw the follwoing recipe on Everyday Food and I knew I had to try it immediately. All the measurements are approximate. I can't fint the recipe online yet, so I guessed on the measurements. All in all, it was a really good, open faced tuna sandwich. It makes a hardy and tasty lunch alternative.

First I started with my ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cans of Albacore Tuna (in water)

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 TBSP. capers, rinsed and drained

1 TBSP. hot sauce (optional)

About 1/4 cup Mayo (you can substitue Light Olive Oil instead of Mayo)

1 TSP. Mustard

The juice of one lemon

2 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 TSP. Salt

1/2 TSP. Pepper

***

1 loaf of sourdough bread, halved

Mayo or olive oil

Gruyere Cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 farenheit. 2. I mixed the first 11 ingredients until a slight creamy consistancy. You want the consistancy to be a little looser than a regular tuna salad. Place the mixture in the fridge for about an hour for all the flavors to develop. 3. Brush the sourdough halves with a little mayo or olive oil. If the bread is too thick, scoop out a little bit of the bread to make a bread boat. 4. Divide the tuna mixture and top each bread half with it. Top off each one with grated cheese. The cheese will hold the tuna salad together. 5. Bake the sandwiches in a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the sandwich is warmed through. 6. Cut the bread in thick slices and serve with a salad. YUM!