Yellowfin Tuna and Potato Stew

Serve with a big chunk of bread and a salad for a perfect meal!

Ingredients

I love me some Spanish food. And I especially love me some Basque-inspired Spanish food. Jeff and I live a block and a half away from The Harvest Vine Restaurant, and though it isn't a place we visit terribly often, I could. Every day. One of my issues, being a cook and all, is paying for food that I can easily make at home. If I can make it without much effort, I ain't paying 20 bucks for it at a restaurant. If you want my money, impress me. Harvest Vine does just that. Preparing their food is both time consuming and complicated. The ingredients are also complex and fresh.
When I do cook Spanish food at home, this recipe is one of my favorites. It is also one of the easy ones.  It was adapted from Gerald Hirigoyen's The Basque Kitchen. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection. The recipe can be prepared using fresh yellowfin tuna (or ahi) or albacore. If you live near Costco, check out their selection! You can even substitute chicken if you want and skip the fish altogether (just saute the chicken with the onions and cook through).
Prepare your ingredients in advance, and while the stew is simmering, have a martini or something. This is a dish you can prepare quickly for a quiet night at home or to impress the heck outta your friencds, family, and lovers. Do it!

Stem, seed, and slice Anaheims.

You will need:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
4 medium Anaheim chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable stock

Cut potatoes into cubes.

6-8 saffron threads
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper)
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1-2 pounds fresh skinless tuna fillets, cut into 1½ inch cubes
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
Pinch of Spanish paprika

Warm the olive oil in a large casserole or pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, Anaheim peppers, bay leaves, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, wine, stock, and saffron. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Add salt, pepper, dried chili, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove lid and gently immerse the tuna into the stew, stirring gently to mix. Simmer only until tuna is cooked a bit, for a minute or so...if the tuna is a bit rare inside, even better! Don't overcook it.

Season with salt, pepper, and discard bay leaves before serving. Serve in shallow bowls and top with parsley and a pinch of piment d'Espelette (Spanish paprika). If you don't have any, no worries...though I do advise you to have some on hand since it is so freaking delicious!
Enjoy!