My Communal Table

All summer long we eat our meals on our back porch as often as possible. It is a little refuge in the middle of the city. Eating together is a big part of how our family connects. After my oldest son, Andrew, left to work overseas, my five year old, Gabriel, missed his brother most when he set our table for dinner and he didn’t need to set a place for Andrew. I would have to lift his chin up and wipe away a few tears and talk about the time that we will all sit around the table again.

Chicago has several farmers markets that are open until the end of October. There is a winter green market that is open up through Jan. This trip to the farmers market was just last week and yielded corn on the cob, green beans, red peppers, and squash. A quick toss of the veggies in olive oil with some salt and pepper. Corn steamed with a stick of butter to roll it in. Summer is corn on the cob. Now for the protein… I do not want to go to the grocery store… hmmm. I would love some lobster. Not in the budget. I would love a crab cake. Hey, I make tuna burgers all the time for us. It is essentially a crab cake made with tuna instead. I have that in the pantry. Tuna cake it is with a curry mayo.

Tuna Cake/ Tuna Burger

1 can tuna
2 scallions, chopped
1 glove garlic, chopped
1 egg white
2 T. Dijonaise (A low cal choice from grocery store, but i will also put 1T. mayo, 1T. dijon)
1/2 cup bread crumbs.
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil for saute’

1. Drain tuna. Place in bowl.
2. Add next four ingredients to bowl and stir together.
3. Add half of bread crumbs and stir together.
4. Form in to patties. Depending on the size of your patties is how many you will yield. I usually get 3 nice size patties for a can of tuna.
5. Dredge patties in the remaining bread crumbs.
6. Heat skillet over medium heat.
7. Olive oil to coat bottom of pan.
8. Place patties in pan. Approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
9. Place on plate with paper towel lining. While prepping the rest of dinner.

Notes: I make this as a burger often and I vary the ingredients that I add to the burger as well. I add herbs, hot sauce, chopped red peppers, green or kalamata olives. Top with different cheeses and place on lots of different buns and breads.

Curry sauce:
Soy sour cream (Mayo, yogurt, sour cream all great as well. Non-dairy is the choice
I make for my son with dairy allergies.)
Dijon, curry powder, salt and pepper
Capers, chopped (scallions, garlic,herbs are good options to added or substituted)
Lemon juice to taste. (vinegar another option)
Adjust seasonings to taste.

My stepfather, Bruce, was raised on the Victory gardens during the post WWII era and still looks at a plate of seasonal vegetables with joyful anticipation. Keep exposing your children to vegetables and they will develop a lifetime of love of them.

Good bye Summer. I will dream of you until spring.