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!

Faux Pho.

Here is my version of the classic Vietnamese soup, Pho. Most of you are familiar with it, and to those who aren't, I'm truly sorry. Making Pho is traditionally a long and painstaking process that involves boiling meat and bones with spices to create a rich broth, but I have streamlined that process into a much easier task which still yields a pretty tasty soup. Also, my base recipe is completely vegan. I have included tips and ideas for those who might wanna add some meat and such.

Also, this recipe is specifically designed to make your life easier. By all means, if you want to buy some oxtails and spend a couple of days working on a batch of traditional Pho, knock yourself out! You will have my full and utmost respect and admiration. However, in my house, ain't nobody got time for that! My recipe takes anywhere from an hour to 2 hours, depending on how long you want to simmer your stock. It serves up to 4 people. You have my absolute permission to change, modify, embellish, or adapt it in any way. The point in cooking yourself is, after all, to create something that you love.

You will need:

a large pot with lid
a strainer of some sort, or cheesecloth
a large bowl
large serving bowls

1 onion, unpeeled, roughly cut into eighths

Use the peels and all!

1 large shallot, unpeeled, quartered (optional)
6 to 10 garlic cloves, unpeeled, squashed with the edge of a knife
1 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice Powder*
10 cups vegetable stock (or chicken or beef...feel free to use more or less)

Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce (optional)
fish sauce (optional)
salt & Pepper

rice noodles, cooked**
bean sprouts
fresh basil (Thai basil is best, but any works)
thinly sliced serrano or jalapeno pepper
sliced green onions
lime wedges
hoison sauce
Sriracha sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

Place the onion, shallot, and garlic (peels and all) in a large pot over medium heat and "dry roast" the vegetables for several minutes until they are browned, softened, and charred, stirring occasionally. Don't use any oil...the bits that stick to the bottom will make your broth amazing. 

Easy shortcut.

Sprinkle the 5-Spice Powder over the veggies and stir for a few seconds to allow the spices to toast slightly. Immediately add a cup or two of stock and stir well, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and maintain a gentle simmer for at least 25 minutes, and up to an hour.

Now we have to strain the broth and remove the solids. I pour mine into a large bowl (or another pot) through a mesh strainer. You may also use a few layers of cheesecloth. If you don't have either, run to the store or get creative. If you end up with particles in your broth, it isn't the end of the world. Discard the solids (or if you can find a creative use for them, bravo!) Return the broth to the pot and return the pot to the burner. You may season to taste with Bragg seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, pepper...whatever you like. Bring it back to a soft boil. Your soup is now ready to serve. (This portion of the process can be done in advance. You can let the broth cool and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve. Simply heat it up and continue for a quick meal!)

To serve, put rice noodles, sprouts, basil, green onions, peppers, and whatever else you like in the serving bowls and carefully ladle the super hot broth over. The broth will slightly "cook" the vegetables in the bowl, which is why it is important that it is hot. Garnish with hoison sauce, a squeeze of lime, and Sriracha, and enjoy!

Pile ingredients on a platter for a fabulous presentation!

*If you wanna go all out, replace the 5-Spice Powder with 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 whole star anise pods, 4 cloves, and about an inch of fresh ginger, coarsely sliced.

**Prepare noodles according to package directions. For best results, time the rice noodles so that they are hot when you add them to your bowl. For convenience, you may cook them, drain them, then keep them in a pot of cool water until ready to use.

Tips:

- Use big serving bowls so you can cram more veggies in without cooling the soup too much.
- To make things even easier, keep a stock paste on hand in the fridge. You will always have instant stock in a flash.
- This recipe can be easily doubled. Just double all the ingredients, and follow the same cooking times.

Paper-thin beef.

Ideas:

- Jeff and I like beef in our Pho. I get a steak and place it in the freezer when I start cooking. When it is firm, I use a sharp knife to make paper-thin slices (against the grain). Place the raw beef in the bowl with the veggies, and the broth will cook them perfectly.
- Tofu is a great addition! Slice it thin. For best results, press the excess water out first.
- Plan ahead and make a big batch of broth for the freezer. When cooled, divide the broth into individual servings and freeze! You can have Pho in a snap anytime.
- Chicken wings make a great addition to the recipe. Toss a few in with the onions and garlic and cook with the broth. Just remember to remove and save them before discarding the solids. Place the cooked wings in the serving bowls.