Grilled Tuna Steaks with Garam Masala and Lime

Tuna Steaks are a favorite fish. We made this recipe from American Masala by Savior Saran. It is called: Grilled Tuna Steaks with Garam Masala and Lime. It was excellent. Easy to grill and the flavors were great.

We started with a Salad made with Persimmons and Prosciutto.

grilled tuna steaks with garam masala and lime

American Masala

Suvir Saran

SERVES 4

2         tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1         tablespoons honey

Juice of 1 lime plus 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving

6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

3         teaspoons kosher salt

½         teaspoon Garam Masala

½         teaspoon ground ginger

¼         teaspoon cayenne pepper

½         teaspoon ground peppercorns

4         tuna steaks (6 to 8 ounces each) of even thickness

Canola oil, for greasing grill grates

Mix the sesame oil, honey, lime juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons of salt, Garam Masala, ginger, cayenne pepper and ground peppercorns together in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Add the tuna and turn to coat; then refrigerate-for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high (you should be able to hold your hand 5 inches above the grate for no more than 3 to 4 seconds). Pour some canola oil into a small bowl. Wad up a couple of paper towels and dip them into the oil. Using tongs, rub the oiled paper towels onto the grill grate to grease it. Sprinkle the tuna steaks with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and grill for

minutes, or until they have char marks and are golden on one side. Turn the steaks over, cover with the grill cover or with a disposable aluminum pan, and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes (3 minutes for rare, 5 minutes for medium). Serve with lime wedges.

WHEN SHOPPING for tuna steaks, be sure to select steaks of the same shape and thickness so they cook at the same rate on the grill. Cook tuna steaks so that they are still rare in the middle, and then slice them at an angle and shingle over a salad for a stunning presentation.

Steak

It was time to grill some Steaks again! We bought 40 day Dry aged rib-eye steaks from McCall's Meat and Fish. We needed our meat fix. We grilled the steaks and accompanied them with Oven-Roasted Potatoes (Patate al Forno) from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. These potatoes are exceptionally crispy (especially if you overbake them a little). You can find the recipe on our blog of: August 10, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the potatoes we served Foil Baked Onions with Soy Sauce from The Japanese Grill by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat. You can get the recipe from our blog of: August 8, 2016. Click the date to get the recipe.

After letting the steak rest we sliced it down and served it over Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar. Delicious!

Mango Salad

We saw an interesting video on YouTube of how to extract the mango from the peel by using a glass. I am not sure how safe it is because the glass could break and cut your hand - but here is a link to it: Mango.

After experimenting with it we decided to make a Mango Salad. The salad was great we added some peanuts to the recipe, but I think next time we will add some peppers to kick it up a notch. It is a good salad!

Mango Salad

Gourmet January 2002

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 (1-lb) firm-ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

PREPARATION

Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper until sugar is dissolved, then add oil, whisking until emulsified. Add remaining ingredients and toss until coated.

Pugliese Fish Tiella

Tiella before Cooking

After Cooking

We have been thinking about traveling to Puglia Italy, so when was read this recipe for Pugliese Fish Tiella, how could we resist trying it? Shumon joined us for dinner on a warm night. We have been eating on our back patio almost every night. Global warming (and our heaters) make for enjoyable outdoor dining!

We started with a simple Tomato, Burrata and Mozzarella Salad. It is very refreshing. I'm not sure that we would make the Tiella again. Basically, I liked everything but the fish. Maybe I am not a fan of baked fish! The combination of Tomato, Potato and Rice tasted great. I get all of you vegetarians, make this dish and leave out the fish. You will be happy!

It did re-heat well (we removed the fish during the re-heating). I still want to go to Puglia!

pugliese fish tiella

Simple

Diana Henry

This—a layered baked dish of potatoes, pecorino cheese, risotto rice, and fish—is usually made with mussels, but I can't be bothered to prepare those during the working week. It's a dish I love, though (how could you not like double carbs baked with pecorino?), so I started to make it with fillets offish instead. It's pretty miraculous. Stick the whole dish in the oven and just wait for it to be transformed

Serves 6

extra virgin olive oil

1        large onion, finely sliced

salt and pepper

1-1/4  lb round red or round white potatoes (no need to peel them; I don't)

14      oz can of crushed tomatoes

2        tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

2        garlic cloves, minced

¾      cup finely grated pecorino cheese (Parmesan if you prefer, but I like pecorino here)

¾      cup arborio rice

4.       good-sized fillets of white fish (such as cod, hake, or haddock)

1-1/4  cups fish stock or water

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Drizzle some oil into a stove-to-oven pan—or a saute pan that can be used in the oven—and 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Spread the onion out in the pan, seasoning and drizzling with oil.

Either slice or use a mandoline to cut the potatoes really finely. Spread half of these over the onions, then spoon on half the tomatoes, the parsley, half the garlic, and half the pecorino cheese; season and drizzle with oil as you go. Add the rice and lay the fish on top. Put in the remaining potatoes, garlic, cheese," and tomatoes, in that order. Drizzle on a final bit of oil and pour in the stock or water.

Bring to a boil on the stove, then immediately transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then check: the potatoes and rice should be tender. If they're not, return to the oven and bake for a little longer. Serve straight from the dish.

Tamales

Shumon surprised us with Pork Tamales. They are custom made by a woman that a friend of his knows. I am not a big lover of Mexican Food (unless you count Margaritas - in which case I love Mexican food). These were very light, exceptionally good. We will be having them again. We started with Melon and Prosciutto Salad.

Pasta with Spicy Sausage

Shumon and Kate came over dinner. It was a beautiful warm night. We started with a the Zuni Caesar Salad. You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 25, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. We cheat on making it, by simply throwing all of the ingredients for the dressing in the blender at one time and letting it get blended into a creamy sauce.

For the main course we made a new and delicious pasta: Spaghetti with Spiced Sausage & Fennel Sauce from a new cookbook that we purchased: Simple by Diana Henry. Like the name implies the recipes are all simple to execute. We bought the Sausages at McCall's Meat and Fish. The Sausages were spicy and the fennel was great in the sauce. I don't remember ever having fennel in a pasta sauce before. Great addition.

It was a great night of food and conversation on the deck.

spaghetti with spiced sausage & fennel sauce

Simple

Diana Henry

Easy, quick and a crowd pleaser. My kids love it, and they're pretty picky. Omit the fennel seeds if you don't have any. You can use pasta shapes instead of spaghetti, if you prefer.

Serves 4

14    oz spicy pork sausages, preferably Italian

2      tablespoons olive oil

1      fennel bulb

1      large onion, minced

¼     teaspoon chili flakes

pinch of fennel seeds, bashed in a mortar and pestle

2   garlic cloves, crushed

1       cup white or red wine, or dry vermouth

14     oz can of cherry tomatoes in thick juice salt and pepper

2       teaspoons soft light brown sugar

2       tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

10-1/2    oz spaghetti

finely grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, to serve

Remove the sausage casing and form the meat into hazelnut-sized pieces. Heat the regular olive oil in a sauté pan and brown them over high heat until a good color all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Halve the fennel bulb and take off the tough outer leaves. Trim the tips—keep any little fronds— and cut each piece in half again. Trim the base of each, discard the core, then finely chop. Sauté with the onion over medium-low heat until soft. Add the chili flakes, fennel seeds, and garlic, plus any fronds, and cook for two minutes. Increase the heat, add the wine, and let it bubble until reduced by half Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Season really well, add the sugar, and cook for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Now return the sausage and cook for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. You may need a little water (it depends how much your sauce has reduced). You should have- a good thick sauce that will coat the pasta, and not a solid puree. Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil; it's great for extra flavor and enriches the sauce.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente—usually a couple of minutes less than the package suggests—then drain (not too thoroughly; a little cooking water helps the sauce) and return it to the pan. Stir the sauce into the pasta. Serve with Parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Shumon does Indian

Shumon was in a mood to cook. He cooked an Indian Meal for us. It was great and you can see he was happy to be eating real Bengali food!

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

We like Moroccan food. The contrasts in flavors are great. Couscous absorbs the sauce and makes the flavors linger in the mouth. We saw this Chicken and Chickpea Tagine recipe in The New York Times and we knew we had to make it. It is very good. We would make it again.

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

Mark Bittman

New York Times

Like many dishes that rely on a combination of spices, a tagine, which is a slowly braised Moroccan stew, may look more intimidating to cook than it is. Even with shortcuts, the results are exotic in flavor and appearance. My version may not compare to those that begin with toasting and grinding spices and peeling grapes, but it is easily executed and still divine.

Use dark-meat chicken here, and be aware that tagines are on the dry side, so don't add liquid to the sauce unless it is threatening to burn. Home-cooked chickpeas and fresh tomatoes are, of course, preferable to canned varieties, but in this dish the differences are not marked. Do, however, use a vanilla bean, not vanilla extract. Serve with couscous.

Ingredients

2  tablespoons corn or canola oil

2  tablespoons butter

1  large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2  cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pinch nutmeg

½  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1  teaspoon ground ginger

1  teaspoon ground cumin

1  teaspoon ground coriander

½  teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne

1-1/2 to 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; drain excess liquid)

4  cups chickpeas (canned are fine; drain and rinse first)

½  cup raisins or chopped pitted dates

½  vanilla bean

8  chicken thighs, or 4 leg-thigh pieces, cut in two

Chopped cilantro or parsley leaves

Method

Step 1

Put oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole, which can be covered later, and turn heat to medium high. When butter melts, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, a large pinch of salt and spices. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins and vanilla, and bring to a boil. (If mixture is very dry, add about 1/2 cup water.) Taste, and add salt as necessary.

Step 2

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, and nestle them into sauce. Cover, and 5 minutes later adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Then garnish, and serve.

Lentil Pasta

Oven Candied Tomatoes

Shumon joined us for dinner. We started with Melon and Prosciutto with Figs.

In the summer when tomatoes were at their best we made several batches of Oven Candied Summer Tomatoes from: The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. We then froze the tomatoes for use in the winter when delicious tomatoes are hard to come by.

We used the frozen tomates for our main course: Lentil Pasta. The Italian Lentil Pasta from the restaurant Locanda Veneta in Los Angeles is one of the best. It is so rich, you would swear it was made with meat. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 22, 2008. Click the date to get the recipes for both the pasta and the tomatoes.

Darryl and Food To Go

Darryl stopped by and we were happy to offer him dinner. We were eating the leftover Ziti with Vegetable Sauce and he really liked it. Darryl gave the dish official vegetarian love. We then provided a to-go package of the Pasta that he could take home to Robert. It was nice having a conversation with Darryl.

Caramelized Sea Scallops & Pearl Couscous with Tomatoes

Sea Scallops are a favorite of ours. We used the recipe for Thomas Keller's Caramelized Sea Scallops from Ad-Hoc.  You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 25, 2016. Click the date to get the recipe. The scallops have intense flavors, they are a quick sauté and they go with so many different sides. 

Because Tomatoes are in season, we decided to make a new recipe: Pearl Couscous with Tomatoes from American Masala by Suvir Saran. It was the perfect foil for the scallops. We will make this couscous again.

Pearl Couscous with Tomatoes

American Masala

Suvir Saran

Serves 4 to 6

2        tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1        dried red chile

½       cinnamon stick

½       teaspoon ground peppercorns

2        medium red onions, quartered and
  thinly sliced

2        teaspoons kosher salt

3        medium tomatoes, chopped

1        cup large pearl couscous

4        cups water

1        tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat the oil with the chile, cinnamon, and ground peppercorns in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the cinnamon starts to unfurl, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they're thick and jammy, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the couscous and cook for 1 minute, and then pour in 1 cup of water. Once the water comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the couscous sticks to the bottom of the skillet and the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the skillet in a back-and-forth motion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add another cup of water and cook until the water is absorbed, still stirring and scraping the pan, for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the remaining cup of water and cook until the water is absorbed, stirring and scraping occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 more cup of water and cook until the couscous is very sticky, stirring and scraping in a back-and-forth motion occasionally for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to its low­est setting and cook 2 minutes longer. Cover the skillet and turn off the heat. Let the couscous sit 5 minutes and then serve.

MADE IN THE RISOTTO STYLE, pearl couscous (sometimes called Israeli cous­cous) has a great toothsome pastalike quality and is creamy and outrageously tasty. It's .. excellent as a side dish, or can be served on its own or with some added Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, some broiled shrimp, or pan-seared scallops. For even more depth of flavor, use vegetable, chicken, or beef stock instead of water.