tuna, 2 fennel seed forms; turnip greens; tomato

tuna_turnip_greens_tomato

I wasn’t even going to buy tuna on Friday, but I was sort of taken by the rich color of the Albacore steaks at the fish stand in the Greenmarket. I decided to try it, because it was new for me.  I was I also interested in learning how it would differ from Yellowfin, which I think is what has always been the ingredient in one of my favorite dishes.  I looked on line and found that opinions about tuna species were all over the map;  after trying it myself, my thoughts, our thoughts, at least as respects searing the steaks is concerned, was that Yellowfin is better, for its taste and, even more, for its firmer texture.

I had also brought home lots of tomatoes on Saturday, so some of them were destined to end up on the same plate, and a bunch of turnips (Hakurei) which I had selected mostly for the beauty of their greens.  The turnips roots themselves will show up here soon.

  • two 7-ounce tuna steaks from Pura Vida Fisheries, rubbed with a mixture of dry fennel seed and one dried pepperoncino, ground together, additionally seasoned with salt and pepper, then pan-grilled for only a little more than a minute or so on each side, finished with a good squeeze of lemon, a sprinkling of fresh fennel seed from Lani’s farm and a drizzle of olive oil
  • six red grape tomatoes, slow-roasted with dried Italian oregano from Buon Italia, olive oil, and garlic cloves, halved lengthwise, from John D. Madura Farm
  • turnip greens from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted in olive oil along with one halved garlic clove from John D. Madura Farm which had been lightly-browned in the oil earlier
  • the wine was a French rosé, Côtes du Rhone Parallèle 45 Rosé 2014
  • the music was, among other work by other composers, Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s Symphony in C Major, which was likely composed around 1780