Sicilian Albacore

Tuesday 27 November

This was pasta con le sarde without pasta, or sarde. 

Sauté garden fennel slices in butter, then wine, then whites of scallion.  Add whizzed-up bag-ripened tomatoes, then wash out the robot-coupe with a little white wine, dissolve some saffron threads in it, and slosh into the pan.  Add raisins to plump up, and begin to simmer.  Add pine nuts, then greens of scallions and some of the fennel fronds.  Depending on thickness of tomatoes, clear a space and sauté a Tbsp. or so of tomato paste. 

Take defrosted tuna steaks, cut into slices 3/4 inch thick, set on top of sauce for 2 mins. with heat on, and then another 2 mins. with heat off; flip them over (the vegetables will stick to them, which looks very attractive, actually), and give them another minute covered if necessary.  
Surprising, and tasty.