Tuna Au Poivre Food

TUNA AU POIVRE WITH RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Season tuna steaks with salt. Sprinkle with garlic, coriander, fennel and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Rub to coat evenly with spices on both sides. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 4 hours and bring to room temperature before cooking).
• Make the red wine sauce: Melt butter over medium-high heat and add shallots. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add chicken broth and reduce until 1 cup sauce remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, set aside and keep warm.
• Set a wide cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (or use 2 smaller pans). When hot, lay in steaks and sear for 2 minutes, until nicely browned. Flip and cook 1 minute more for rare, 2 minutes for medium rare. Arrange tuna on a platter or individual plates. Spoon wine sauce over each steak.

TUNA AU POIVRE (TUNA WITH GROUND BLACK PEPPER)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Put the pepper on a flat plate. Place a large skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium-high heat; add the olive oil. Dredge both sides of each piece of tuna lightly in the pepper; it will adhere nicely, forming a thin coat. (Use a bit more pepper if necessary.).
• As they're dredged, add the steaks to the pan. Turn the heat to high. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn. Add salt and cook 1 more minute. Turn heat to low and remove tuna to an ovenproof plate. Place in oven.
• Add half the butter to the pan, followed by the shallots. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the wine; let it bubble away for a minute or so and add the remaining butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the sauce is thickened.
• By this time the tuna will be medium-rare (cut into one to make certain). Cut the steaks in half, put each serving on a plate, and spoon a little sauce over it.

TUNA STEAK AU POIVRE WITH WHITE BEANS AND BITTER GREENS SALAD

Steps:

• If you are planning to roast your red pepper, rather than use store bought, place your pepper under broiler to blacken. See red pepper method below.
• Preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Pat tuna steaks dry and season with a little coarse salt. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over tuna and lightly coat steaks on both sides. Coat 1 side of the steaks with a generous amount of coarse ground black pepper. When the pan is very hot, add steaks, peppered side down. Sear and brown steaks 2 minutes, then turn, and immediately reduce heat to medium. Loosely cover pan with aluminum foil tent and allow steaks to cook 5 minutes for rare, 7 minutes for medium. Steaks should be firm, but have a little give and some pink should remain at the center.
• In a second skillet over moderate heat, coat pan with olive oil, add garlic and onion, and saute 3 minutes to soften onion bits. Add beans and chopped roasted red pepper to the pan. Heat beans through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in rosemary and parsley and season beans with salt and pepper.
• Combine escarole and radicchio in shallow dish. Coat greens with lemon juice, then a drizzle of oil. Season salad with coarse salt and toss well.
• To serve, pile a serving of beans on a dinner plate and top with tuna steak. Serve salad greens along side beans and fish. You can also serve this with sliced bread that has been toasted and then rubbed with half a garlic clove.
• To roast red peppers: Preheat broiler to high. Split and seed pepper and place skin side up close to hot broiler. Blacken skins of pepper. Transfer pepper to brown paper bag and seal. Let pepper cool to handle. Peel charred skins away from pepper flesh.

TUNA STEAK AU POIVRE

Steps:

• Stir together soy sauce, water, lime juice, ginger, sugar, and scallion.
• Coarsely crush peppercorns and coriander with a mortar and pestle or heavy skillet. Sprinkle tuna with 3/4 tsp salt, then press spice mixture evenly all over fish.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sear tuna, turning once, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.
• Serve with dipping sauce.

STEAK AU POIVRE POTATOES

Steps:

• The night before serving, slice the potatoes 1/4-inch thick and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Refrigerate up to 24 hours, changing the water a few times. (This makes the potatoes extra crispy when fried.)
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the red onion, white onion, shallots, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, 30 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, brandy and Worcestershire sauce and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar; transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Combine 3 teaspoons crushed peppercorns with 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat, pressing the peppercorns into the meat. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until it just starts browning. Add the steak; cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, drain the potatoes and pat dry. Transfer to a large pot; cover with 2 inches of vegetable oil. Cook over medium-high heat, gently stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet; season with salt. (The potatoes can be fried up to 2 hours ahead; reheat in a 300 degrees F oven for 5 minutes before assembling.)
• Thinly slice the steak. Spread some of the onion mixture on each potato; top with a slice of steak and a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns.