My friend Brian “Stevie Ray” Spiro personally requested a unique grilled tuna recipe. Tuna is my favorite fish to grill. This goes out to you, Spiro!
4 fresh tuna steaks, about 8 ounces each, 1-inch thick
Lemon zest from one large lemon (completely zested)
Fresh rosemary leaves stripped from three sprigs, about 2 tablespoons
Handful flat leaf Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (grill seasoning could be substituted)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Unless you live in a community rich with fresh seafood markets, Costco by far has the best tuna you can get for the money. They usually have great deals on fish. Rinse and pat the tuna steaks dry. Place the zest on top of cutting board. Pile rosemary and parsley leaves on top of the zest. Pile the garlic and some coarse salt and black pepper or grill seasoning on top of the herbs. Finely chop the garlic, herbs, and spices all together. Drizzle the olive oil over the tuna steaks just enough to coat each side. Rub herb and garlic mixture into fish, coating pieces evenly on each side. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
I prefer my grilled tuna to have a rare center. For that, I grill tuna steaks over high heat for three or so minutes on each side. Otherwise, grill for six minutes on each side. When I grill I like to rotate the steaks 45 degrees after the first three minutes on each side in either direction to get nice criss-cross grill marks.
Here is a simple way to make a good marinara sauce. There are as many was to make marinara sauce as there are hungry Italians-Americans. It would be blasphemous to use a jarred marinara sauce.
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup butter
3 large garlic cloves
Handful fresh Italian flat leaf parsley sprigs (leaves only)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Three large cans peeled, diced & stewed plum tomatoes (about six cups)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
Combine olive oil and butter in a saucepan and heat. Chop garlic and parsley together and add to the pan. Cook slowly for five minutes, then add the salt and pepper. Drain the canned tomatoes and add them along with the oregano to the sauce and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir well and remove from heat. At the end of the cooking, taste for salt and add some if necessary.
Minestrone is a staple in any respected Italian restaurant. There was a neighborhood Italian restaurant I lived near in San Francisco that always had a soup of the day. Every time I ever went there, the soup of the day was Minestrone. I asked the server once if there is ever another type of soup of the day. She said, “No.” I guess when you do something right, why change it.
1 pound dry cranberry beans (use pinto beans if you can’t find cranberry beans)
3 quarts spring water
2 quarts chicken broth
1 pound fresh green beans, broken in half
6 ounces salt pork, diced
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound onions, peeled and minced
2 cups peeled canned plum tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium-sized carrot, scraped and diced
2 celery stalks with leaves, minced
1 ham hock
¼ cup butter
1 pound tiny shell pasta
Soak the dried beans in water overnight. Drain and discard water. Add beans to the 3 quarts of water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add all other ingredients except for the butter and pasta. Cook slowly for two hours. When beans are cooked, add pasta and bring to a boil. Cook for 8 minutes. Add the butter and serve with wine and grated parmesan cheese.
Good luck to all in the New Year. Since I’m part Italian, I’ve learned that the Italian way of starting off the year with good luck is to wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve and eat lentil soup New Year’s Day. Who am I to argue? Luckily, my very first meal of 2006 was at my friend Rose’s mother’s house. Roasted chestnuts in the shell, Italian lentil soup, beef roulade, orecchiette with Bolognese sauce, and sautéed artichokes with smoked salmon. How lucky was I right off the bat? Here’s my stab at lentil soup, though I’m sure it’s not as good as Mama de Pinto’s. Salute!!
1 pound dried lentils
4 quarts spring water (the better quality water, the better the zuppa)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 celery stalk, diced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces salt pork, diced
1 ½ pounds onion, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
¼ pound carrots, scrapped and diced
2 large leeks, diced
¼ cup butter
8 sliced Italian salami, diced
Wash the lentils and soak in two quarts of water over night. Drain and discard the water. Bring the 4 quarts of spring water to a boil and add the ingredients except for the butter and salami. Cook slowly for 1 ½ hours. Add salami and butter. Cook for 30 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.
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