Luncheon Tuna

Tuna noodle casserole made with spaghetti, and rice with canned apricots for dessert

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City/Region: Topaz War Relocation Center, Utah

Time Period: 1943

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In 1942, anyone of Japanese ancestry in the United States was forcibly sent to live in incarceration camps. Food was often in the form of leftover military rations that was augmented by crops grown by the people living in the camps, but there were also canteens that sold food and sundries. These items were great luxuries as the Japanese Americans living in the camps made only about 1/5 of a typical wage and included things like Ovaltine, apple juice, and canned tuna.

This recipe, from a newspaper printed in the Topaz War Relocation Center, makes a tasty, if basic, tuna noodle casserole. I would add more of the paprika, or really some more spices in general, but I really like the lightly crunchy texture of the bread crumbs and the celery.

If you’d like to serve this forth with dessert, as I did, then you simply need some cooked white rice and some canned apricots with syrup.

“LUNCHEON TUNA (for 8)
2 cups cooked celery cut in small pieces
2 cups tuna
1 pkg, spaghetti
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup buttered crumbs
Make cream sauce of milk, flour, butter, salt, and paprika. Cook spaghetti, add to sauce. Add celery, mix with tuna. Serve with grated cheese and buttered crumbs on top. If possible, bake half hour.”

— Topaz Times, March 20, 1943

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups (200 g) chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup (60 g) bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups (475 ml) milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 lb (450 g) spaghetti
• 2 cups (450 g) canned tuna
• 1/2 cup (55 g) grated cheddar cheese*

Dessert

• Cooked white rice
• Canned apricots in syrup

*For extra authenticity, use an imitation cheddar cheese as that’s what would have been more available in the camps

Instructions:

1. If you’re baking the casserole (which is optional in the historical recipe), preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Boil the chopped celery for 5 minutes, then drain. It should still have some texture to it (you don’t want it to be mushy).
3. In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the bread crumbs and stir so that they’re all coated in the butter. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
4. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it’s melted, whisk in the flour until smooth, then continue to cook for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
5. Slowly add the milk, whisking vigorously the whole time. After all the milk is incorporated, whisk in the salt and paprika. Continue to whisk the sauce until it’s thickened, about 5 minutes. When it’s thickened, turn the heat down to its lowest setting, just enough to keep the sauce warm.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the spaghetti for about 10 minutes, or to the doneness that you like. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
7. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss until the pasta is coated. Add the celery and tuna and mix until evenly distributed.
8. At this point, you can sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and serve it as-is with the cheese, or you can transfer the pasta to a casserole dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, then the grated cheese over that, and bake for 10 minutes. When the cheese has melted, serve it forth.
9. If you're serving this forth with the dessert, simply top a scoop of cooked white rice with canned apricots and their syrup.

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