hapa bento

Ah…another tuna recipe.  A special tuna recipe.  But before we get to it we have to take a trip… an actual trip and one down memory lane.

Last month, my mom flew in for the Mother’s Day weekend  and along with other family members we celebrated my niece’s college graduation!  We hailed a  SUV stretch limo (for real!) and crossed the boarder to Vancouver BC.  A surprising experience which I will detail some other time.

From there we hopped onto a cruise ship headed back to Seattle.  For those who’ve been on cruise you know about the gluttony that goes on.  Especially the desserts…

My favorite was the lemon sorbet in the bottom right.

The voyage was brief  so we ate till bursting, stayed up past our bedtimes, and enjoyed spending precious moments with our family and close friends.

Mother’s Day passed and my mom headed back over the Pacific to her island  home.

Saba Man’s mom lived in Hawaii too.  And this is where the tuna recipe comes into play…

When Saba Man was a young man, fresh out of college and living on his own, his mom sent him a cookbook, “Easy Cooking…The Island Way” by Ann Kondo Corum.

It’s full of island style recipes and helpful hints for those just starting out in life far-away and across the ocean.  And in her wisdom, SM’s mom personalized it with handwritten notes, pasted in some family recipes, and highlighted important tips in yellow!

Taking care that he would not go hungry or living off fast-food!

This cookbook has survived the years— it’s pages are loose and finger-printed but it is priceless.  Much more than nostalgia, it is a testament to what a wonderful and thoughtful mom she was.

As you can guess, this tuna recipe comes from this very book.  During our early years together,  he took a turn at cooking  and picked out this recipe.   It”s been a hit since then.

Here’s the recipe as it is in the cookbook:

Tuna Burgers

2 cans tuna, well drained

1/4 c. minced onion

1/4 c. minced celery

1 c. bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 eggs

1/4 c. mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together and fry as you would hamburger patties.  Serves 4.

Saba Man made this recipe even easier.  He pressed the mixture in a baking pan!  No messy hands from forming patties.

For this day I used scallions instead of onions.  I also skip the tuna packed in oil using albacore packed in water instead.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then uncover, turn up to 350 and bake for another 15 -20 minutes until golden.

I cover it at first to keep it from drying out.

Cut into squares and serve or pack in your bento.  Like this one. Don’t forget to make extra and freeze as bento-stash.

Most importantly, as Saba Man’s mom personalized…

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