Tuna aioli, bacon and avocado pitta
snack/starter serves 4
olive oil
250g/9oz cherry tomatoes, halved 100g/3-oz bacon
4 pitta breads
2 ripe avocados
1 lemon
6 garlic cloves
4 slices of bread, crusts removed, then toasted
8 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tins of tuna in water (100g/3-oz drained weight per tin), drained
1 spring onion, chopped coarse sea salt and freshly ground white and black pepper
Heat a dash of oil and fry the tomatoes over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
Remove from the pan, sprinkle with salt and white pepper and set aside.
Heat a frying pan and fry the bacon until crispy. Leave to drain on kitchen paper.
Lightly toast the pitta bread in a toaster or under the grill, then split in half horizontally.
Halve the avocados and remove the stones. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, cut into slices and drizzle with lemon juice.
Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic cloves, sea salt, white pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil and a piece of toasted bread. Fold in the mayonnaise.
Purée the tuna in a food processor or with a stick blender.
Mix the garlic mayonnaise with the tuna.
Spread the tuna aioli on the inside of one half of the pittas, then top with the bacon, tomato and avocado. Sprinkle with spring onions and finish with some freshly ground black pepper.
Top with the other half of the pitta breads.
The featured recipe is from Cooking with Tinned Fish by Bart Van Olphen
