I had my foot lady coming today so I wanted to make something quick and easy for my dinner. The recipe which I am sharing with you comes from the cookery book by Betty Crocker, entitled, Bisquick Impossibly Easy Pies.
I don't mind dinners which use store cupboard ingredients. That's why I keep a fairly well stocked larder. By doing so, I always have the ingredients to hand to make myself a quick and delicious dinner with very little effort.
Impossible pies are one of my favorite things to make. I do admit that it is a bit of a stretch to call them pies actually. They are more like baked custards that come in both sweet and savory version. The savory versions remind me very much of quiche and the sweet ones remind me of custard pies.
Supposedly they form their own crust on the bottom, but in all honesty, I have yet to find one that actually really does that. It doesn't really matter, crust or not, I have also never eaten one that I did not enjoy.
This was my first time making a tuna one. I happened to have everything in my cupboard and refrigerator and was craving tuna of some sort. I didn't have enough time to do patties etc. and I wanted a more substantial meal than a sandwich.
I had been eyeballing this recipe in the book for quite some time. Today was the day. I also had some celery and spring onion in my refrigerator that needed using up, so all my stars were really aligned and it was truly the right time to make it!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLY EASY TUNA PIE
A few store cupboard ingredients and not much more than a half hour in time and you, too, can be enjoying this simple, quick and easy weekday supper.
1 can (6 ounces/170g) tin of tuna in water, drained and flaked
1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and finely chopped
2 cups (226g) grated cheddar cheese (I used strong)
I always use Albacore Tuna. I just find that it tastes better. There is a reason it is called chicken of the sea. I find it not to be overly fishy in flavor like some tunas can be.
Many years ago an older Italian Nonna saw me buying tuna in the grocery store and she stopped me and told me not to buy the kind that I had in my hand. She said it was garbage and to only buy Albacore tuna.
I listened and have never bought any other kind since. If you can't trust an Italian Nonna, you can't trust anyone! She also told me that snub nosed carrots are sweeter. She was right about that as well!
Today I used a pre-grated cheddar cheese. Strong/sharp. Normally I would grate my own, but for the sake of saving some time, today I did not. I don't think that in a recipe such as this it messes with the integrity of the dish at all.
I would not, however, ever ever ever use pre-grated cheddar in a sauce.
I also used orange cheddar as I thought it would give more color to the dish, and it did. I also like to use only free-range eggs. But it is up to you.
Let's talk baking mix here. At one time you could find many different kinds here in North America. Tea Bisk is one brand that comes to mind as well as, of course, Bisquick. To those of you who live in the UK, Bisquick is a type of baking mix that is often used to make pancakes or scone/biscuits.
It is possible to buy it online via Amazon, and you can also buy it via American grocery sites such as Skyco and American Fizz.
You can also make your own baking mix, which is what I always do and use. I have given the link to my recipe for it in the recipe below. Its very easy to make and keeps for a very long time in the freezer. You can just take out what you need whenever you need some.
I also tell you how to use it. You can use it for things like this, for making North American style scone/biscuits, pancakes, waffles, etc. You can even use it to make cakes.
HOW TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLY EASY TUNA PIE
This is so easy and simple to make, its almost embarrassing. Quick too!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Spray a 9 inch glass pie dish with some baking spray.
Prep all your vegetables and drain and flake the tuna. Grate your cheese. Whisk the baking mix, eggs, lemon juice and seasoning together in a beaker until well combined.
Sprinkle the flaked tuna over the bottom of the pie dish. Top with the chopped celery and onions, sprinkling each ingredient evenly over top. (If you want you can season them a bit.) Sprinkle the cheese over top of the vegetables.
Pour the egg mixture over top of the cheese to cover.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Notes
It is possible to make this a low fat pie by using reduced fat cheddar cheese, skim milk and reduced fat baking mix. Substitute 3 egg whites or 1/2 cup fat free cholesterol free egg product for the eggs.
This made for a really lovely dinner/lunch for myself. I heated up some green beans to serve alongside and enjoyed a wedge of the pie as well as some pickled mustard beans and pickled beets. If you wanted to you could make a simple butter sauce or lemon sauce to spoon over top. A parsley sauce would be nice as well.
I also added some lemon wedges for squeezing over top. As you can see from the photos, the cheese kind of migrates to the top forming a lovely layer of melted cheese with crispy golden cheese over all. The tuna, celery and onion stay together and there is a lovely rich custard that binds everything together! Delicious!
If you are looking for some other ways to use up your baking mix, you might also enjoy the following:
CHERRY CUSTARD PIE - You will need a tin of cherry pie filling for this. The baking mix is used both in the custard base and in a delicious streusel topping. Altogether this is one very tasty dessert!
BEST BISQUICK CINNAMON ROLLS - Baking mix is used to form a soft dough which is rolled out and topped with a cinnamon brown sugar filling. Rolled up, sliced and placed in a pan, some warm milk is poured over top and they are baked. Finished off with a sweet glaze when done, these are a real family favorite!
RASPBERRY PEEKABOOS - These easy and delicious frosted muffins absolutely overflow with juicy fresh raspberries! I love them! They make for an excellent breakfast bread or something to enjoy with your mid morning cuppa. Betcha can't eat just one!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Spray a 9 inch glass pie dish with some baking spray.
Prep all your vegetables and drain and flake the tuna. Grate your cheese. Whisk the baking mix, eggs, lemon juice and seasoning together in a beaker until well combined.
Sprinkle the flaked tuna over the bottom of the pie dish. Top with the chopped celery and onions, sprinkling each ingredient evenly over top. (If you want you can season them a bit.) Sprinkle the cheese over top of the vegetables.
Pour the egg mixture over top of the cheese to cover.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Notes
It is possible to make this a low fat pie by using reduced fat cheddar cheese, skim milk and reduced fat baking mix. Substitute 3 egg whites or 1/2 cup fat free cholesterol free egg product for the eggs.
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This is the second "Impossible" pie I've run across today! I must say yours looks very tasty, Marie! I do love tuna. I never eat it fresh; canned is my personal jam.
While albacore certainly is tasty, it's not always the best choice due to mercury. The Environmental Defense Fund states that:
~~~ Canned white, or albacore tuna has 0.32 parts per million of mercury. Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat this kind of tuna up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).
Canned chunk light tuna is the safer choice with 0.12 parts per million of mercury. Children under six can eat up to three 3-ounce portions per month. Older children and adults can safely eat it once a week. ~~~
I used to be a real tuna fiend. I was very surprised to learn the above info, and have adjusted my intake accordingly. I've also added sardines to my fish fetish--they are quite good.
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This is the second "Impossible" pie I've run across today! I must say yours looks very tasty, Marie! I do love tuna. I never eat it fresh; canned is my personal jam.
ReplyDeleteWhile albacore certainly is tasty, it's not always the best choice due to mercury.
The Environmental Defense Fund states that:
~~~ Canned white, or albacore tuna has 0.32 parts per million of mercury. Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat this kind of tuna up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).
Canned chunk light tuna is the safer choice with 0.12 parts per million of mercury. Children under six can eat up to three 3-ounce portions per month. Older children and adults can safely eat it once a week. ~~~
I used to be a real tuna fiend. I was very surprised to learn the above info, and have adjusted my intake accordingly. I've also added sardines to my fish fetish--they are quite good.