A quarter of the world’s olive oil supply comes from the North African nation of Tunisia. Boasting a beautiful landscape and coastline along with a cosmopolitan culture, Tunisia’s delicious cuisine, a height of gourmet creativity since Medieval times, often gets overshadowed by that of neighboring Morocco. One of Tunisia’s most popular street foods are brek a deep-fried turnover filled with tuna and vegetables left over from the Ottoman era, and Casse-Croûte—sandwiches filled with similar ingredients.

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ small yellow onion, minced
½ small green bell pepper, stemmed,
seeded, and minced
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
Unrefined sea salt or salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 small hero or sandwich rolls
1 small English cucumber, thinly
sliced
1 medium ripe tomato, thinly sliced
9 or 10 ounces (255 to 283 g) tuna
in olive oil, drained well
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced into
quarters
½ cup (50 g) pitted black olives
4 jarred pepperoncini peppers,
drained, stemmed, and
halved lengthwise
½ cup (120 g) harissa (see page 184)
or other hot sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic,
onion, pepper, and diced tomato, and cook, stirring, until soft, about
6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Split the rolls horizontally, leaving them intact on one side. Divide the
tomato sauce among rolls, top with cucumber, and sliced tomato, and then
tuna; top with eggs, olives, and pepperoncini. Drizzle the top of each with
harissa and serve.

Mediterranean Tradition
The powerful, high-protein duo of tuna and eggs is a classic
combination throughout the region. For example, in Italy, they are
tossed into salads with white beans; in Provence, they are star elements
in the salade nicoise; and in North Africa, they’re popular additions to
savory pies. Try incorporating them into some of your favorite dishes to
boost their nutritional benefits.