[Music]
hi guys I'm laori Vitali on this episode
of Laur kitchen I want to share
something with you that's really easy
but I promise you it's outstanding and
you must try it this is my Nona's
Italian tuna salad if you followed our
Italy Vlogs you would have seen this
salad when she made and also there's
like a local pool we go to that has a
restaurant and they serve this salad and
it is so good it's so easy but it's the
combination of these flavors that just
really make it what it is I've got some
steamed green beans here corn you can
use canned fresh whatever it is as long
as it's cooked I've got some tuna this
is canned tuna that was packed in olive
oil that's been drained these are green
Italian olives also known as like Casta
just any green Italian Olive will do
these are some beautiful red ripe
tomatoes that I've just chopped salt
pepper extra virgin olive oil the mix of
greens is important because it just
gives the the salads much character bib
lettuce and some peppery arugula and
then what you're going to need is some
eggplant let me turn this down CU I've
got my grill pan preheating over about
medium hot heat I know it sounds crazy
to say eggplant but trust me when I tell
you the combination of everything is
what makes the salad so outstanding and
really worthy of being you know served
at a celebration or at a big get
together it's fantastic what I'm going
to do I want to grow these eggplants I
don't want to drain them in oil so what
I like to do is I just like to take a
little bit of olive oil and just a
pastry brush and just brush both sides
with a little bit of olive oil this just
make sure that I don't because eggplants
are like sponges so if you would to
drizzle olive oil all over them it'll
just soak them up and I don't want to
add too much oil so I just like to take
a couple tablespoons put it in a bowl
take a pastry brush brush both sides a
little bit with some olive oil this just
makes it so that the eggplants don't
stick to the grill pan and it does give
them some flavor that is what makes
eggplants so delicious is when they were
cooked in a little bit of olive oil just
brush both sides now if you can get your
hands on those little Italian eggplants
then those are the ones to use but this
was just a medium eggplant that I sliced
nice and thin not paper thin otherwise
it'll fall apart and I am just going to
pop this onto the grill pan you can do
this on the outdoor grill if you want to
the great thing about the salad is that
when you've got over grilled eggplants
when you've got leftover green beans you
could just put them to Great use here
all right I'm going to pop this on let
these Grill up for just a few minutes on
each side take them off let them cool
for a bit and then we'll put the whole
thing
together my eggplants grilled when it
came off the grill pan I did sprinkled a
little bit of salt on it and then I just
let it cool pretty much completely cuz I
don't want to wilt my greens but it is
smelling good it is looking good and I
am ready to put this whole thing
together it's very easy from this point
forward it's just just an assembly job
but it's so good you've got to trust me
I mean I wouldn't steer you wrong I like
to take the eggplant and just tuck some
underneath put some like this that's
just how my Nana likes to make it so
that's how I like to make it I love this
and you can do also um zucchini would be
really great here some summer squash
just really any vegetables that you like
I'm a fan of eggplant like I said
because it's what I'm used to um and I
just I I don't like change but I do I'm
weird but this is fabulous so you have
to try it just like this first so you've
got your eggplant and then you're gonna
put some zucchini some zucchini can I
even speak today some green beans these
were already steamed you can steam them
until really tender or until they're
about Tender Crisp it's completely up to
you you can do as much or as little as
you want now you can also add which I
know this sounds crazy you can also add
boiled potatoes to this I don't like to
do that because I like to make a potato
salad with tuna and a bunch of different
stuff so that's my version of that um
but you could and then be really hearty
and delightful and then some beautiful
corn corn is an absolute must have here
and I have to tell you canned corn works
really well here I don't know what it is
about it but it does put that on I'm
going to tuna at the very end then
you've got your olives you can cut them
in half I like to leave them whole but
they are pitted nothing work and biting
an olive and just giant P you know hurts
your
teeth that I'm going to save one in here
for
me
okay then your beautiful
tomatoes some beautiful Jersey Sweet
Tomatoes actually these Tomatoes were
from our little tomato
plant put the left last of the Corn on
there as well then you for tuna now I've
got two cans here it might be a little
bit much but it actually might end up
working perfectly cuz this will serve a
good six people I would say or two of
Joe and I now this will be a great
dinner for us tonight and a really great
lunch tomorrow as well so two cans will
work out perfectly
Here season everything with a good pinch
of
salt couple turns of fresh to ground
black
pepper optional I know this sounds crazy
but listen a little drizzle of olive oil
or not even olive oil at all would be
perfect here you know why because I use
the tuna that's got a little bit of oil
already in it so it's almost giving me
it's almost giving me dressing on its
own but I do I love lemons heav we met I
love lemons so what I'm going to do is I
am just going to squeeze the
tiniest tiniest bit of lemon just to
brighten this up a little tiny bit it's
not even a half of a lemon and this was
a really really really small lemon and I
also want to tell you if you are going
to be keeping this for um like leftovers
don't dress it just take your own dress
it take your own and dress it that way
you don't Wilt the greens and the lemon
doesn't almost like you know cook the
greens if you will I'm just going to go
right in cuz it's just Joe and I for
dinner but it's just G too gorgeous not
to bite into this I'm just going to go
for a bite right here I want the
tuna I want piece of
eggplant I want it all cuz I'm greedy
like that look at
that that is my
heaven that is why I love summer it's
just it's pure it's delicious it's good
for you it's light it's beautiful to
look at it's filled with so many
different nutrients there's absolutely
nothing this salad doesn't do for me
it's fantastic and if I had a little
Buffalo mozzarella I throw that in there
too because that would be delightful you
don't need a recipe but if you want
everything written down is a guide go
over to Laur indication.com I will have
it written and ready for you if you make
it please send a picture on Instagram
Twitter Facebook whatever I love to see
your Recreations and if you have a
family favorite tuna salad recipe I
would love to hear because I just love
that all of you are from just all over
the world and we do things differently
and I think that's the beauty of about
cooking love to hear from you I'm going
to go back to eating hope you enjoy
spending time with me I'll see you soon
bye
[Music]