Minilla Veracruzana

My Mexico, p. 302

¼ cup (63 ml) olive oil, not extra-virgin

½ finely chopped white onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

2 heaped cups (550 ml) finely chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar

2 bay leaves, finely crumbled

2 ½ cups (625 ml) firmly packed drained water-packed tuna

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup (63 ml) raisins, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives

1 tablespoon chopped large capers

½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

Salt to taste

Tomatoes don't always agree with me, so I used two tomatoes instead of two cups of tomatoes. Still got a nice amount of tartness out of the deal.

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onion and garlic, and fry without browning until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook over fairly high heat until reduced to a fairly thick sauce—about 10 minutes. Add the sugar, bay leaves, and tuna and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan from time to time to prevent sticking until the mixture is fairly dry. 

What a beautiful hodgepodge of things!

Test for salt.

The recipe suggested serving this over a bed or rice or as taco stuffins. I enjoyed it in a bowl by itself with a salad on the side.

My Rating: 4/5 "This is such a beautiful combination of flavors. It's fishy, it's sweet, it's salty, and it's just a little bit tart. There's something here for every part of your palate. Note that they're not kidding when they want you to finely crumble the bay leaves - if you leave them in chunks they stay dry and sharp. Try this and enjoy some Mexican food that isn't Americanized!"