Steve Mishos

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 lb. fresh carrot, peeled
• 3 leek, sliced, in half lengthwise, and, thoroughly, cleaned
• 1 yam, peeled
• 4 celery, stalks
• 1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, root, peeled, and, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring stock to a boil.
2. While stock is heating, chop all vegetables into small pieces (approximately 1/2 inch cubes).
3. In a saute pan, over med-high heat, melt half of the butter. Sauté vegetables with ginger and nutmeg for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are browned. Add remaining butter as needed.
4. Add sautéed vegetables to stock, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender. Soup should be thick and smooth. If you like your soup chunky, skip this step.
6. Add salt and pepper.
7. To serve, re-heat, ladle into bowls.

Yield: 2

Fresh tuna steaks are so fatty and rich that to preserve their flavour they should never be cooked beyond ‘medium rare’ doneness. Braised leeks have a wonderfully creamy texture that complements the fish perfectly.

Ingredients Leeks

• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 4 x leeks, white bottoms only, roots still attached, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup of red wine (I think I used 2 cups wine)
• 2 cups of vegetable broth (I think I used a cube with 1 cup water)
• Salt and pepper

Salsa

• 2 x very ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 x preserved lemon, minced or the juice and zest of one lemon
• Salt and pepper

Tuna

• 1 tbsp of red peppercorns
• 1 tbsp of green peppercorns
• 1 tbsp of black peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• 2 x 6 oz tuna steaks, 1 inch thick
• 3 tbsp of olive

Directions Leeks

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter and when it foams, add the leeks, flat side down. Pan roast for a few minutes until the face browns and softens. Add the red wine and chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, reduce heat and braise at a slow simmer for 30 minutes, until leeks are very soft and braising liquid has reduced and thickened to a sauce-like consistency. While the leeks braise combine all the salsa ingredients. Crack the peppercorns in an electric spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. Don’t grind to a powder. Mix on a plate with the salt then press each tuna steak into the mixture, coating both sides well. Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add corn oil and sear tuna steaks for no more than 3 minutes per side. Cook just long enough to form a crust but not long enough to allow the heat to penetrate and cook the center of the fish. Tuna should be rare in the center. Cut into thick slices with a very sharp knife. Place 2 leek halves in each bowl, fan tuna on top of them and spoon the leek broth over the top. Top with a heaping spoonful of the salsa.

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