Ingredients
- 1½ cups milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion slice
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 60 g butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 425 g can tuna, drained, flaked, juice reserved
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅓ cup cream
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, extra
- paprika, to taste
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderate 180°C. In a small pan heat milk, bay leaf, onion slice and peppercorns. Bring to boil; remove from heat, cover, and let stand to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve milk.
2. Heat butter in medium pan, add finely chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add flour and stir for 1 minute until mixture is bubbly. Add combined reserved milk and tuna juice gradually; stir constantly over low heat until mixture boils and thickens. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add nutmeg, cream, finely chopped parsley and grated cheese. Stir 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from heat; add flaked tuna and salt and pepper; stir to combine.
4. Spoon mixture into a 3-cup greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle top with the combined breadcrumbs, extra grated cheese and paprika. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place dish under preheated grill for 2 minutes to brown the breadcrumb mixture.
