Tuna and Tomato Stuffed Baguette

The thing I love most about traveling, whether it's in the country where I reside or if it's an adventure which requires a seat on an airplane, is discovering new foods and combinations of old favorites.

When I did my study abroad in Granada, Spain, I lived with a host mother. Anytime my friends and I were going on an organized or spontaneous weekend outing she'd make me two Bocadillos - a simple yet always delicious baguette sandwich. No matter the occasion, I always left my home-stay with one baguette filled with an egg and cheese omelet and another baguette stuffed with tuna, tomatoes and a bit of olive oil.

I studied abroad in the fall of 2005, yet distinctly remember the joy of having these two sandwiches to munch on weekend getaways. So, 7 years later, it's time to re-create the magic!

Rather than simply slicing my baguette however, I dug out the dough and then stuffed a mixture of tuna, tomato, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper into the opening, let the olive oil have a couple minutes to soak into the bread and then enjoyed every last bite of this single meal which brings back some of my fondest Spanish memories.

Tuna and Dill Kimbap

Sometimes, nothing comes together more quickly and easily in my Korean kitchen than a few rolls of Kimbap. This new Kimbap in a Pinch variation is one of my new favorites.

Ingredients/Directions:

Into about a cup of cooked rice mix a large handful of chopped dill, a tablespoon or two of Mustard, 1/4-1/3 cup Plain Yogurt, a couple squirts of Mayonnaise and a tin of Tuna. Split this mixture evenly on 2-4 sheets of seaweed, roll, slice, enjoy!

(All measurements are approximations as I generally just eyeball this type of recipe, if you decide to measure it out exactly, please leave a comment with either your post of the recipe or your measurements!)

Kimbap in a Pinch

Kimbap is Korea's version of a sushi roll...but not really because Korea is not Japan and sushi is Japanese. So kimbap is a Korean snack/quick dish of rice and things wrapped in seaweed. Typical Korean Kimbap includes ham, egg, pickled radish and other non-Japanese style additions. It's cheap and perfect for so many situations.

Once, in desperate need of a quick dinner, a Korean friend recommended a twist on traditional kimbap...I'm calling it Kimbap in a Pinch.

Like all foods I truly, truly love, this can be adjusted and played with to create some great fusion style eats....here's the basic and a couple of variations I've had some success with ^.^

Prepare rice. White rice. (One cup of un-prepared rice will be enough for about 4 rolls once it's been properly prepared).

Mix in mayonnaise, a touch of sesame oil, drained tuna fish, a veggie of choice (I used bell peppers), and some sesame seeds.

Spread onto a sheet of seaweed ('kim' in Korea, 'nori' elsewhere).

Roll, cut, eat.

Variations~Mix-In:

• Mayonnaise, chopped tomato, chopped bacon, salt and pepper (B.S.T. - Bacon, seaweed and tomato) Quite amazing, trust me.
• Pesto and chopped tomato -- received the most raves at a recent gathering
• Mayonnaise or a touch of salsa/hot sauce, black beans, corn and tomatoes -- haven't tried this, could be a total fail.
• Hard-boiled and chopped egg, mayonnaise, salt and pepper (think egg salad in a sheet of seaweed) -- also, haven't tried but definitely think there's potential!
• Whatever you can think of! Kimbap is the new sandwich my friends, go out, experiment and have a grand ole time.