What's for Dinner Tonight? Tuna Melts with Fennel and Onion

This is what I am making for dinner tonight... 

Hold-the-Mayo Tuna Melts with Fennel & Onion

I didn't make it EXACTLY like the directions said.. I kind of skipped some ingredients (my husband dislikes black olives & capers and I'm not a big fan myself) and I combined other parts of the directions into an all-in-one type deal. I'll let you know how it comes out!

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray! Enjoy!
If you'd like to print the recipe, you can do so, here.



INGREDIENTS:
1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
Salt and black pepper
1 large red onion, 1/4 fi nely chopped and the rest thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel—quartered and thinly sliced, reserving a small handful of finely chopped fronds
Three 6-ounce cans line-caught tuna, drained and flaked
3 tablespoons capers, chopped
A small handful oil-cured black or kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 hand-cut slices good-quality whole grain bread
About 1 1/2 cups shredded italian fontina val d’aosta or provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the garlic and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons EVOO; season with lots of pepper.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and fennel bulb and cook to crisp-tender, 6 to 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Add the tuna to the garlic-lemon dressing. Combine with the finely chopped onion, the capers, olives, parsley and fennel fronds; toss to combine. Divide the tuna among the bread slices and top with the sautéed fennel and onions, then the fontina or provolone. Pop into the oven and bake until the bread is crisp, the tuna is warm and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

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I liked this recipe. It was reminiscent of the Subway Melt yet so much more sophisticated. I felt like all of the flavors blended together. I couldn't taste the fennel though.. maybe that was a good thing? My husband said he would have probably like it if it was cold and if it didn't have the fennel in it. The leftovers we had I put into a bowl, and my husband actually ate those cold on bread without the cheese. I'm drinking a white Franscati wine with it.. the wine is crisp but smooth. It doesn't leave a bitter or too sweet of an aftertaste which is nice.