Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Fresh Tuna as only the Italians can make

When we spent time on the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy, I had fresh tuna for lunch every day.  It was the best tuna I have ever had.  It has taken me a few years but I have finally been able to almost replicate the recipe.

The first thing is to get really fresh tuna.  I am fortunate to have recently joined a group called Community Seafood (http://www.communityseafood.com/seafood-of-the-week/).  They bring fresh seafood to my local Farmer's Market weekly.  You never know what you are going to get.  A few weeks ago I really scored and got this delicious tuna.  I managed to buy more than my weekly share so I was able to recreate my tuna dish from Italy and have it for more than just one week. 

Here is the recipe.  It is a little time-consuming, but the tuna keeps for weeks in the refrigerator so it is worth the effort.

Tonno Bollito

Ingredients
1-2 carrots 1 medium onion (red or yellow)
1 stalk of celery
1 bay leaf
6-8 stalks of Italian parsley
3 lbs fresh tuna
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Boil 2 quarts of lightly salted water and all the ingredients but the tuna and olive oil for about 1 hour.
 Filter the broth and then add the tuna.  Cook approximately 30 minutes and then remove.



 Finally, put the tuna on a bed of lettuce, add tomato, salt and pepper and season with olive oil. 

With the extra tuna you cooked, cover it completely with olive oil, put it in the coldest part of your refrigerator and it will last for weeks, assuming you have the will power to not eat it completely in the next few days.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Chia Pudding

To quote The Who Pink Floyd (oops!), "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" When it's a breakfast pudding made from chia seeds! Or anytime, really, I just like the quote. Chia pudding is best when you have time to let it sit overnight. I like this for summer, since it's refreshing.



Anyway, chia pudding is a weird sort of thing. I first saw it on goop, and her recipe was kind of bland. It was also chewier than I wanted it to be. So, after scouring the internet, I think I've stumbled upon the best liquid:seed ratio. I'm using slightly more than a 4:1 ratio--0.5 cups of liquid (I use unsweetened, plain almond milk) to 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. Then I add a few more splashes of liquid. This makes one serving. Just pour your liquid over the seeds (I used a leftover jam jar that I had lying around, if you're a hipster you can use a mason jar. I've also used regular bowls). Stir. This step is key. That way, all the seeds will get mixed in, and you won't have a weird clump at the bottom of your bowl/jar. You can also stir in fruit. Here, I put in strawberries, but the possibilities are endless! I definitely recommend some fruit. I also put in a sprinkling of vanilla powder. I keep forgetting to put in cinnamon, but I bet that would be tasty, too. I'm thinking of trying cocoa powder and bananas. Once it's topped and stirred (stir a lot!), put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning you will have a delicious breakfast!