Charred Ahi Tuna With Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade And Farrotto Salad Recipes

RACHAEL'S TUNA PAN BAGNAT

Steps:

• Crisp baguette in hot oven, then cool to handle. Cut baguette in half lengthwise, on an angle, then split each half lengthwise.
• Put about 1 inch of water, the bay leaf, peppercorns, and juice of 1/2 the lemon into a small skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tuna steak, cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove tuna from the water and allow to cool. Place tuna in a bowl and separate with a fork. Add capers, red onion, artichokes.
• For olives, if they're pitted, coarsely chop them. If the olives have pits, place an olive or 2 on your cutting board. Turn your knife sideways and place the flat of the blade on top of the olives -- just like peeling garlic -- whack the heal of your hand on knife and the pits of the olives will be exposed. Remove pits and chop.
• Add olives and parsley to tuna mixture. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the bowl. Squeeze lemon halves holding cut side upright, allowing juice to spill over sides. The seeds will stay with the lemon half, rather than falling into your salad. Add black pepper to the bowl and drizzle salad liberally with evoo, extra virgin olive oil. Toss tuna salad and adjust pepper and evoo to your taste. Pack the tuna salad on to baguette halves and set tops in place. Press down to set the bread and salad together. The bread will absorb the evoo and salad juices -- YUMMY! Cut each half baguette in half again, making 4 sandwiches, total.

YELLOW FIN TUNA FARFALLE

Steps:

• Heat saute pan over high heat, add oil. Lightly dredge tuna in lemon pepper. Pan sear quickly, about 1 minute each side. Finish in 375-degree oven to desired doneness, best served rare or medium rare.
• Remove tuna from the pan to a warm plate. Add garlic, basil, and wine to pan, reduce 30 seconds. Add cream and Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, farfalle pasta, cook 2 to 3 minutes until pasta is hot.
• Put faralle on plate or pasta bowl and placed seared tuna on top. Sprinkle with feta and garnish with blanched broccoli florets, and diced tomato.

WILD MUSHROOM AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO FARROTTO (FARRO RISOTTO)

Steps:

• Place the farro in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to par-cook the farro, and then drain and set aside.
• In a heavy-based pot, add the butter and oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic and shallots and saute until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine. Add the drained farro and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock to the pot a little at a time, ensuring at each addition that the liquid has been completely absorbed by the farro. Keep stirring and adding the stock until the mixture is thick and creamy.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and then add the Parmesan, sour cream and parsley.

CALABRESE ANTIPASTO

Steps:

• Place all of the prepared and drained vegetables in separate bowls and reserve their juices.
• In a large saucepan, combine ketchup, Worcestershire, horseradish, tomato sauce, tarragon vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season, to taste, with salt.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Blanch the cauliflower for about 2 minutes; it should still be crisp. With a skimmer, transfer the florets to a tray to cool quickly. Repeat with the carrots and then with the celery, cooking them just long enough to remove their raw taste; they will be cooked more later. Add the white wine vinegar to the water and blanch the mushrooms for 1 minute (the vinegar will keep the mushrooms white). Drain and spread the mushrooms on a tray to cool quickly.
• Add the cauliflower, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the sauce. Add the juices from the canned and jarred vegetables. Add the pepperoncini, olives, pickles, onions, and artichoke hearts and toss well.
• In sterilized canning jars, place 1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar (this will guarantee freshness). Load the sauced vegetables into the jar, using a wide-mouthed funnel to avoid a mess.
• In one of the large pans that you have used, add olive oil, tuna, and anchovies and mix well. Top each jar with some of the tuna mixture. Cover and refrigerate, or allow to cool on the counter before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA IN MINUTES

Steps:

• Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink -- about 3 minutes each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. In the meantime, add the fresh pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
• Now add the basil, artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese to the skillet. Saute 1 minute then stir in the cream. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Add the chicken saute to the pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt and pepper before serving.

TUNA AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, the yogurt, the garlic paste, the basil, the lemon juice to taste, and salt and pepper to taste and stir in the tuna, the olives, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the scallions. Divide the tuna mixture between the bottom halves of the bread, top the sandwiches with the arugula, and cover them with the top halves of the bread, pressing them firmly.

SUNDRIED TOMATO TAPENADE

Steps:

• Stir balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; fold in sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, green olives, and garlic. Season with black pepper. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for flavors to blend, at least 2 hours to overnight.
• Arrange cream cheese halves on 2 serving dishes; spoon tapenade over cream cheese.

MAHIMAHI WITH CHARRED ONION, TOMATOES, AND TAPENADE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler and line a large shallow baking pan with foil.
• Toss onion and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in lined baking pan, then spread evenly in one half of pan.
• Pat fish dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then arrange, skinned side down and spaced apart, next to vegetables in other half of pan. Drizzle fish with 1 tablespoon oil and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until vegetables are charred and slightly wilted and fish is just cooked thourough, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, tapenade, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
• Serve fish and vegetables over couscous. Stir pan juices into vinaigrette and drizzle on top.