Poached Tuna with Citrus-Avocado Salad

Scrumptiously wet tuna steaks, exquisitely cooked in an orange-scented olive oil bath, presented with a margarine lettuce greens and a trio of citrus soil grown foods.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 1-inch-thick tuna steaks

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2-4 cups extra virgin olive oil zest from one orange

2 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 225ºF. Select an ovenproof pan or dish to fit the tuna steaks close but not touching.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the tuna steaks with salt and pepper.

3. Pour the cold oil into the pan and place in oven until the temperature reaches 180ºF.

4. Add the orange zest and bay leaves to the oil. Slowly drop in the tuna steaks.

5. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. The tuna must be cooked thoroughly and have an internal temperature of 130ºF. Because the tuna is being heated at such a low temperature, only when it is completely cooked can you insure that any bacteria has been removed.

6. Place tuna steaks on a plate and keep warm.

Citrus-Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 large head of butter lettuce, washed and dried

2 avocados, peeled and sliced

1 orange, peeled and segmented

1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1 tangerine, peeled and segmented

½ red onion, peeled and sliced

½ cup toasted sliced almonds

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.

2. Add the avocados, orange, grapefruit, tangerine and onion.

3. Sprinkle the almonds on top.

4. For the vinaigrette, add the vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to blend.

5. Add the remaining vinaigrette ingredients. Continue whisking.

6. Serve with the tuna steaks.

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Poached Tomatoes and Onions in Olive Oil with Fresh Basil

There is nothing the taste of warm tomatoes poached with two fantastic flavors, hot stout garlic cloves and sweet crisp basil. Serve the tomatoes straight from the dish, provincial style. Include cuts of naturally prepared bread to gather up the diminished substance of the tomatoes and the flavored olive oil goodness.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes, peeled and cored

3 large onions, peeled and cored

12 fresh basil leaves

3-4 cups extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2-3 fresh basil leaves, julienned for garnish

1 loaf of artisan bread, sliced

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Line the bottom of a large ovenproof dish with the basil leaves.

2. Place the tomatoes and onions core side down in the dish so they are snug but not touching.

3. Pour enough olive oil to cover the tomatoes and onions halfway. Add the garlic.

4. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the tomatoes and onions are soft.

5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and freshly sliced basil

6. Slice and toast the bread and serve with the warm tomatoes and onions.

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LAMB TENDERLOIN WITH GREEN OLIVE JAM

I adore sheep and had never had such a decent fixing with it until I had this claim to fame of Ann's. It's better than average with a decent jug of full-bodied red wine, as well.

1½ pounds lamb tenderloin, trimmed

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

GREEN OLIVE JAM

2 cups large green olives, pitted

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ cup sugar

½ cup apple juice

Pinch of ground coriander

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To set up the lamb, clean and separation the lamb loins into 6-ounce portions. In a large glass bowl, blend the garlic and oregano with the oil. Include the lamb and cover it with the oil mixture; cover firmly with plastic wrap and marinate overnight. 

To prepare the jam, place the olives and garlic in a food processor and pulse until a paste is formed; set aside. Combine the sugar, apple juice, and coriander in a small pot and cook until syrupy. Add the olive paste and stir until incorporated and the olives have softened. Add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The jam can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To cook, place the marinated lamb on a hot gas or charcoal grill and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side or until medium-rare to medium, registering 145° to 160°F on an internal cooking thermometer. Let the lamb rest for about 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with the jam.

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MEXICAN CAESAR SALAD

This is a super Caesar! I'd even add two to three slight cuts of new jalapeño or serrano chile to the mayonnaise mixture you prepare in the blender. On the off chance that you would prefer not to go to the inconvenience of browning tortillas, you can beat the greens with pepitas, or toasted pumpkin seeds. Queso fresco is a decent complete; discover it at a Latin merchant.


1 cup mayonnaise, divided

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

cup finely chopped green onions, white part only

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ cup anchovy paste

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 large heads romaine lettuce

½ cup queso fresco

6 to 8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips and fried until crisp

To make the dressing, combine ½ cup of the mayonnaise, the garlic, cilantro, green onions, salt, pepper, lime juice, anchovy paste, and Dijon in a blender or food processor. Blend until mixed. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the salad, rinse, trim, and tear the romaine lettuce into 1-inch pieces. Toss half of the dressing and the queso fresco with the lettuce. Serve on plates and top with the fried tortilla strips. Pass the extra dressing.

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Barley-Corn Salad from Santa Fe

Two summers ago, I spent a month in Santa Fe, visiting friends who were happy to let me use their kitchen to cook with baskets of produce I picked up from the amazing farmer’s market nearby. I went to the farmer’s market as often as I could, and one day I noticed that Deborah Madison, one of my favorite cookbook writers, was giving a talk. This was a treat—and from her talk that day I learned the combination of fresh herbs that I’ve used in this salad.

3 cups cooked and cooled pearl barley

2 cups cooked, fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 cups cooked black beans (drain and rinse them if canned)

4 medium-size ripe tomatoes, chopped

3 serrano or jalapeño peppers, ribbed, seeded, and chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 cup diced jicama

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon white wine, broth, or orange juice

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a large bowl, combine barley, corn, black beans, tomatoes, serrano or jalapeño pepper, onion, jicama, and the herbs.

2. In a mortar, crush the garlic clove together with the salt and cumin. Mash them to a paste. Whisk in lime juice, vinegar, wine, and sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in olive oil.

3. Pour over the salad and toss to mix. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. This salad can sit covered and at room temperature for several hours before serving. It can be made a day ahead, covered, refrigerated, and returned to room temperature before serving.

Barley-Corn Salad from Santa Fe

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Cheesy pumpkin and cauliflower soup

For me, this soup is such eye-candy. And the belly will be happy too! It has a smooth texture, a beautifully vibrant color, and a slightly cheesy taste. It’s like sunshine on your party table!

Serves 3–4

•   1¾ pounds pumpkin flesh (peeled and seeds removed)

•   ½ head of cauliflower

•   4 Tablespoons oil

•   1 teaspoon salt

•   ground black pepper to taste

•   1½ cups hot water

•   3–4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

•   ½ teaspoon turmeric

•   ¾ teaspoon vegetable stock powder

•   1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a medium-sized baking pan. Add pumpkin cubes, cauliflower florets, oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until the pumpkin is soft. Place the baked pumpkin and cauliflower into a pot; add hot water, nutritional yeast, turmeric, vegetable stock powder, and soy sauce. Stir, bring to a boil, and remove the heat. Blend until smooth.

Cheesy pumpkin

There is this great children’s book I love to read once in a while. A tiny fella named Viplala is the main character and he gets into all sorts of trouble. But since I have always been a foodie, I especially like the fact that a character in this book worked in a factory where they produced savory canned plum soups! How amazing is that? I just had to create my own plum soup recipe, and it came out so tasty. Long live the children’s books with their creative ideas!

Serves 4–6

•   2 Tablespoons oil

•   2 Tablespoons vegan margarine

•   8 medium onions

•   pinch of salt

•   pinch of ground black pepper

•   24 ounces plum compote (keep the liquids)

•   4¼ cups hot water

•   1 teaspoon dried thyme

•   1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

•   ½ Tablespoon vegetable stock powder

•   4 Tablespoons soy sauce

•   ½ cup vegan cream

•   fresh parsley for garnish

Cauliflower soup

Heat oil and margarine in a thick-bottomed pot. Add sliced onions, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Pit the plums if needed and add them to the onions. Also add the plum compote liquids and hot water. Boil for a couple of minutes and add thyme, balsamic vinegar, vegetable stock powder, and soy sauce. Boil until the onions are soft. Add vegan cream and boil for another couple of minutes. Add fresh parsley, bring to a boil, and remove the heat. Serve the soup with crispy toasted buns.

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PUMPKIN SOUP

Cut the pumpkin into chunks and scrape out the seeds, then peel off the tough skin. Slice the pumpkin flesh thinly.
Heat the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it foams and turns nut brown. Add the pumpkin, sprinkle with salt, and stir well, then turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time.
Pour in the hot stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the Parmesan and stir in, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the Parmesan doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pan.
Purée the soup in a blender, working in batches, then strain the purée through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Whisk in the cream. Reheat the soup gently, then taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, drizzle with some olive oil, and top with Parmesan shavings. Serve immediately.

SERVES 6
3lb (1.4kg) ripe pumpkin
7 tbsp (1/2 stick plus 3 tbsp)
unsalted butter
51/2 cups hot Chicken
Stock (below)
4oz (100g) fresh Parmesan
cheese, grated
3–4 tbsp heavy cream
sea salt and freshly milled
black pepper

TO SERVE
extra-virgin olive oil
shavings of fresh Parmesan
cheese

CHICKEN STOCK
Cut the breast meat off the rib cage of the chicken and reserve the boneless breasts for another use. Chop the rest of the chicken in half and rinse in cold water, then put in a large, heavy pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the scum with a ladle.

When the stock is clear of scum, add the onions, leek, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, and bring back to a boil. Skim again, turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer, and cook uncovered for 21/2 hours, skimming regularly. Toward the end of cooking, taste and add salt. You should add the salt a little at a time until you get the correct seasoning.


Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot or bowl, pressing down on the vegetables and bones with a ladle to get all the liquid from them. Use the stock immediately, or cool quickly and refrigerate in a covered container, then remove any surface fat before using.

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Grilled avocado and cherry tomato with lime and coriander

I’m sitting opposite one of my favourite people (an Irish New Yorker called Ultan who somehow seems to know stuff about everything from architecture to daffodils, to oysters and beer, to buttons and bows). Over lunch, he starts talking about a salad made from grilled avocado. I now make it once a month because it’s the perfect small supper and grilling the avocado gives it a nutty, silky flavour. Even the simplest version of this recipe, with just tomatoes, coriander and lime juice, is sensational.

226 calories per portion
2½ of your five-a-day
Serves 2
1 whole avocado, ripe but on the firm side
2 limes
230g cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 tsp olive oil
1 small clove fresh garlic, minced
a small handful coriander leaves, torn from the stem
plenty of salt and pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan until golden


Heat a frying pan until very hot. Slice the avocados in half across the middle and discard the stone, then place them cut face down in the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove, score the flesh and squeeze the juice of 1 lime over them.

Next, add the cherry tomatoes to the hot pan and swirl them around for 30 seconds until lightly warmed through.

Toss the warm cherry tomatoes in the olive oil with the garlic, juice from the remaining lime, coriander and plenty of salt and pepper.

Top the avocado with the fragrant tomato mixture piled into the hollow and sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over. Serve warm, with a spoon or a fork as the only implement needed.


Add finely chopped chilli (red and green), a heaped tablespoon of crab meat per avocado half, toasted sunflower seeds, paprika. Use lemon juice instead of lime and basil instead of coriander, finely chopped spring onions instead of garlic. This would also be delicious with the cherry tomatoes and some Lime and Coriander Pesto. I like having this salad warm, as it releases the flavours beautifully, but you can also just have it all cold if you prefer.

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A salad of mushrooms and deep fried egg

This warm salad is a bit of a wacky combination: half French, half Vietnamese and with some other unexpected flavours thrown in. If you’ve never had a deep-fried egg, you’re in for such a surprise! Chanterelles impart so much flavour, but if you want to make this salad when wild mushrooms are out of season, try a mixture of chestnut  mushrooms, sliced portobello, shiitake, enoki and even button.

237 calories per portion
2 of your five-a-day
Serves 4
600g mixed mushrooms, wiped clean with kitchen paper and cut into halves or quarters
1 tbsp olive oil
10g butter salt and white pepper
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp truffle oil
1 tsp Balsamic Glaze
a head round lettuce, broken into big leaves, washed and spun dry
a small handful parsley, finely chopped

For the deep-fried egg
500ml vegetable oil
4 medium, very fresh free-range eggs

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil until hot. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook until they are golden-brown, then add the butter and cook for another 2 minutes, until the butter has been totally absorbed.

Once the mushrooms are cooked, turn off the heat, season generously with salt and white pepper and scatter the chopped spring onions over. Drizzle with the truffle oil, then the Balsamic Glaze. Toss to combine.

Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan – when it is hot it will start to shimmer in the pan. Carefully drop in a little bit of bread to gauge the temperature. You want the bread to react to the oil within a few seconds – then you know the temperature is right.

Next, crack an egg (this is a one-by-one job) into a small bowl and lower it over the hot oil. Carefully drop the egg into the middle of the oil then stand back. Count to 45 in your head, then remove the egg from the oil with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate covered in kitchen paper. Repeat the process until all the eggs are done.

Finally, layer up big leaves of lettuce with mushrooms and spring onions, top with the deep-fried egg and sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Replace truffle oil with strips of cured ham, such as Serrano or Parma, as well as some freshly nipped chives. This salad is also lovely with a poached egg.

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