When I’m at our house in Quezon City, working, I’m usually here by myself and fix my own meals - particularly at lunch. Tuna salad is one of my stand-bys. This is actually variations on a theme, which I tweak each time depending on what seems most appealing at the moment.

Here’s the Classic. It’s not quite as filling as later variations, but it’s superb. Take a can of chunck tuna, best quality you can find. I usually get it packed in water, but oil (unflavored) or, even better, olive oil works well. Drain and dump it in a large bowl - don’t try to work in something too small. If it came packed in olive oil, save the oil to add back in.

Take a fork and separate the tuna chunks - just take your time and do it well. Then grind some fresh black pepper - course - into the bowl. A bunch. And mix it thoroughly directly into the tuna with the fork. Don’t add the pepper at a later stage - do it first.

Next, slice some white onion and dice. I use about three hefty slices of a very large onion. Mix it in well with the other fairly dry ingredients.

Then drizzle in a hefty amount of extra virgin olive oil, some Balsamic vinegar, and a splash of red wine vinegar for tang. Add in two teaspoons of dill pickle relish (if you only have sweet relish, just forget the pickles - but I’ve relented before). Mix it all well.

Add in and mix well about two small splashes or so of Tabasco - not enough to make it hot, but just to wake up the flavor and maybe leave a slight hint of hotness almost as an after-taste.

That’s it. Enjoy with Skyflakes or your favorite saltine and ice cold water to drink. But I usually add in pasta since the above isn’t hefty enough as a meal alone:

Cook two and half handfuls of elbow macaroni pasta - al dente. Rinse under water to cool. Mix it thoroughly.

Another variation that adds more heft is to substitute a couple of heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise and a teaspoon of yellow prepared mustard instead of the olive oil and vinegar.

Yet another variation is to go light on the olive oil and vinegars and then also add in some mayo and mustard.

Update: An Enhanced Dinner Version with Spinach

If you want to do this for dinner, here’s my recommendation on a mix of flavors that works well for a heavier dish. Use the very last option above (light on EVOO and vinegar with mayo and mustard). Just before you put in the pasta, tear up a bunch of fresh spinach leaves (and maybe chop up a little stem) and put that in. Then dice up a little (not a lot) of green bell pepper. Toss that in; add the pasta. Then top off the dish by stirring in some finely diced (or coarsely grated) Romano cheese. I also take one small chili pepper and dice that up and toss in - up to you.

Although I didn’t try this, it sure seems that a handful of diced carrot would be a great addition from the standpoint of color, texture, and taste. You might try it.

Also, it seems this would go very very well with a nice big bold oaky California Chardonnay - unfortunately I didn’t have one on hand tonight. So, mineral water it was.