Nesting Instinct

I love living in Anchorage.  Very little gets cancelled when there are several feet of snow, but "slippery conditions" that seem to be very similar to yesterday's slippery conditions have shut down a large portion of the city schools.  Maybe I'm just being grumpy because I'd like to stay home today, too.

 

I really should take the computer cables
out of the background before taking
photos, shouldn't I?

It's been great to be home most evenings this week now that Love, Loss has closed.  I start rehearsals for my next directing project in a couple of weeks, but in the interim I am doing what I like to call "nesting."  As in, cleaning the house, catching up on the bad television I didn't see while I was performing (thanks, Hulu!), reading and cooking.



This recipe is an adaptation of one for sashimi that I received from Iron Horse, the Sonoma winery.  The recipes are often lovely but a little complicated.  I'm sure someone has Madras curry oil in their pantry, but it sure isn't the majority of their consumers.  With a little punting, though, this became a fantastic light main dish.  I just wish I'd had a colorful sauce to use as well.  Next time!

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Curry Oil and Soy Glaze

Adapted from a Recipe by Chef Ming Tsai

1 lb. yellowfin tuna fillets, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. curry powder or curry powder blend (I used Penzey's Singapore Seasoning Blend)

Sea salt and pepper

1 shallot, minced

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp. brown sugar

Once you have pounded the tuna, cut into four servings.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and return to the refrigerator.

In a small pot, combine the lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then reduce heat to medium and cook for about a half hour, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to about a fourth of its original volume.  Once it is finished, set it aside to cool and then pour it into a squeeze bottle.

In a ramekin or measuring cup, combine the olive oil and curry powder.  Stir and set aside until needed.

After the soy mixture has been cooking for about twenty minutes, warm a large saucepan over medium heat and remove the tuna from the refrigerator.  Add the curry oil to the saucepan, stirring to ensure even distribution of the spices, which will want to separate from the oil.  When the oil is warm, add the shallot and saute for about two to three minutes, until it is softened.  Remove the shallot from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the tuna steaks.  Sear them briefly, about a minute on each side, which will leave them just pink in the center.

Drizzle the plates with the soy glaze.  If desired,  dot any remaining curry oil on the plates too.  Plate the fish with a small portion of the shallots on top and serve with rice and a side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

Serves four as a light main dish.

'Tis the Season

It's almost the end of a four-day weekend, and last night as I went to bed I wondered I had a four-day weekend?  Really?  What happened to it?

Well, I got Inspecting Carol open to a sold-out house on Friday and a rave review that appeared online yesterday.  I couldn't be prouder of my hard-working cast and crew, particularly with the obstacles we encountered in the rehearsal process.

However, I'm feeling that usual start-of-holidays stress, which is probably multiplied by my not getting my usual amount of exercise over the last few weeks.  I'm resolving to spend the next few weeks getting lots of exercise (remember that promise about getting back to cross-country skiing?) and eating healthy.

'tis the season for food landmines for those of us trying to watch what we eat.  I did my share of eating unhealthy things over the last couple of days, but lately I've also fallen back in love with salad.  I'm not talking about iceberg lettuce and out-of-season tomatoes here, but composed salads with tangy homemade dressings and satisfying accompaniments. 

I made one of my favorite salads to take to Thanksgiving dinner, where it was decimated, perhaps because it seemed like the virtuous choice on the table.  As I try to eat healthfully over the next month, this salad dressing will be appearing on the table often.  Although my preference is to plate the salad individually, I dressed it in a large salad bowl for Thanksgiving and it didn't lose anything other than its composed prettiness.

I've used this dressing with baby arugula, a mixture of seasonal baby greens and an herb salad mixture.  It worked beautifully with all of them.  This recipe will provide ample side salads for four to six people.

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Adapted from the Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1.5 tbsp. champagne or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

1 tbsp. fresh-ground pepper

For the salad:

2 oz. thinly shaved pecorino romano cheese

8 cups salad greens

Maldon flaked sea salt, or other good finishing salt

First, marinate the shallots in the acids by placing them in a small bowl with the lemon juice and vinegar.  Stir and allow to sit for at least ten minutes.

Drizzle in the oil slowly, whisking thoroughly.  This dressing emulsifies when it is thoroughly mixed.  Add the salt and pepper and whisk it in, then taste and add more seasoning as necessary.

Add the greens to a large salad bowl and add the dressing bit by bit, tossing with your hands to combine.  You will want to add just enough dressing to thinly coat the leaves, but not leave dressing sitting in the bottom of the bowl.  Add a good pinch of the sea salt and toss again.



Thanksgiving's big communal salad

Mound the greens on individual salad plates if desired, and top with a few thin shavings of the pecorino cheese.



The salad individually plated a few weeks ago at home.

You will have a substantial amount of leftover dressing, which easily keeps for a week in the refrigerator.