New Favorite Vegetable Side-Dish!

Despite the fact that it was 80 degrees yesterday in Boston, Summer is over. Jess and I had a great season in Provincetown. The weather was great this year. I was ready to return to normal life, though. I always enjoy the change of seasons. I have also really missed my kitchen.

Last night I made Pan-Seared Tuna with Tomato-Basil Sauce along with Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic. I had made the tuna once before, with somewhat better results. Then, I used some beautiful tuna steaks that Jess' parents had actually caught the day before. (Best Tuna EVER!) Also, the tomatoes before were much better. Still, the tuna was very good. The recipe is a keeper.

The real discovery was the cauliflower. I don't know why it had never occurred to me to roast it. The florets got golden and crispy--cooked through without going mushy. It's amazing how good something simple can be. See the recipes below.

p.s. The tuna is not as thoroughly cooked as it appears in this photo. I like my tuna medium-rare. Jess likes his rare. Both our steaks were cooked to perfection, by Jess.

Recipe: PAN-SEARED TUNA WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

Bon Appétit | May 2000

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces

4 6-ounce tuna steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, parsley and garlic. Saute until onion is tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before continuing.) Discard bay leaf. Mix in torn basil. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tuna and cook until golden and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to platter. Spoon sauce over tuna.

Makes 4 servings. If two servings are desired, make the full recipe of the sauce. IMPORTANT: When searing 2 tuna steaks, use a smaller skillet--just big enough to hold them without overcrowding.

Recipe: ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH GARLIC

1 head cauliflower cut into 2-inch-wide florets
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss cauliflower with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a shallow baking pan. Roast in upper third of oven 25 to 30 minutes. Shake pan vigorously once or twice during roasting time.


Makes 4 small or 2 hearty servings. For a bigger batch, use three heads of cauliflower and double all other ingredients. Use two baking pans, one in the top third and the other in the bottom third of the oven.