Aioli Pan Bagnat or Stuffed Pita

Name: Aioli Pan Bagnat or Stuffed Pita
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 generous servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 1 5-ounce can water-packed tuna; 1 stalk celery, finely diced; 1/4 cup aioli; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (to taste); Lemon juice as desired; 1/2 pound tomatoes, half chopped, half sliced; 3 or 4 basil leaves, torn or cut in chiffonade; Salt and freshly ground pepper; Bibb lettuce or spinach leaves (a generous handful), washed and torn into smallish pieces; 1/2 cucumber, or 1 Persian cucumber, peeled if waxy, seeded and sliced thin; 2 whole-wheat pitas, cut in half; 1/2 to 1 small red or green bell pepper, sliced in rings, or roasted and sliced; 1/2 small red onion, sliced, soaked for 5 minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed (optional)

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes' refrigeration
Rating: 4(24)
Notes: Read community notes

I started out with the idea of making something like the traditional niçoise salad in a bun called pan bagnat, and using aioli to dress it. But whole-wheat pitas had just been delivered to my Iranian market when I went to buy produce, and I couldn’t resist them. So I tossed the vegetables together with the tuna and aioli and filled the pockets with a sort of garlicky chopped salad.

Featured in: Summer Aioli Feasts

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Ingredients

Yield:2 generous servings

15-ounce can water-packed tuna
1stalk celery, finely diced
¼cup aioli
½ to 1teaspoon Dijon mustard (to taste)
Lemon juice as desired
½pound tomatoes, half chopped, half sliced
3 or 4basil leaves, torn or cut in chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bibb lettuce or spinach leaves (a generous handful), washed and torn into smallish pieces
½cucumber, or 1 Persian cucumber, peeled if waxy, seeded and sliced thin
2whole-wheat pitas, cut in half
½ to 1small red or green bell pepper, sliced in rings, or roasted and sliced
½small red onion, sliced, soaked for 5 minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Drain the tuna and toss in a medium bowl with the celery, aioli and Dijon mustard. Stir in a little lemon juice if desired. Add the chopped tomatoes, basil, spinach or lettuce, and some of the sliced cucumber, and season with salt and pepper. Toss together.
Step 2
Open up each pita half and fill with some tuna mixture. Put tomato, pepper, onion and cucumber slices on top of the tuna/vegetable mixture, and serve. If not serving right away, wrap tightly in plastic.

Tip

Advance preparation: You can assemble the tuna mixture up to a day ahead. Aioli will keep for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator. You can make the sandwich version several hours before eating. The pita shouldn't sit too long, or it will fall apart.