I’m very excited about today’s post for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s freaking delicious. And simple. And relatively healthy (minus the sugar). You should probably run out and buy the ingredients RIGHT NOW. I’ll wait for you to come back.
Back? Good.
Ok…so the other reason I’m so excited about this post is it marks the first in what will hopefully become an ongoing series with Bay Area athletes and food. Whether it’s learning personal recipes from guys who like to cook, accompanying them to their favorite restaurant, or even going fishing with them and cooking up the fresh catch of the day…I think it will be fun and interesting, and I’m super excited about it.
These segments will eventually air on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, and also on the company website, but I’ll give you a sneak peak on the blog so you can try out some of the recipes ahead of time. I’m sorry to say I won’t have step-by-step photos at this time as it would’ve been too difficult to shoot video and photos simultaneously, but I’m sure I will be making this one again, and will update it later.
My inaugural segment was with former Giants short stop Rich Aurilia. As my Giants readers are well-aware, Richie was a very accomplished baseball player. He was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and is just an all around nice guy. However, his talents are not limited to the baseball field. Since his retirement, he’s dabbled in TV as an analyst for CSN, and is part owner of Red Stitch Wine Group. He’s also quite the foodie. He listed Boulevard and Gary Danko as his two favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and he’s been taking cooking lessons from a local chef in Arizona.
Last night, he invited us into his home to share with us one of his favorite recipes and let us sample some of the 2007 Red Stitch Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m not joking when I say the meal was fabulous. He made a sesame-crusted, seared ahi and served it atop noodles and veggies with a ginger teriyaki sauce. I loved the crunch from the sesame seeds and fresh vegetables. It balanced well with the tuna, which was perfectly cooked; and the noodles, which were a great way to soak up the sauce.
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| Courtesy: Red Stitch Wine Group |
Their 2007 Cab received a 92 rating from wine spectator, and I can see why. It’s a very bold wine, with a good mix of fruity and spicy. It was a delightful evening of great food, wine, and conversation. Thanks to Richie for inviting us into his home. I look forward to sharing the finished video with you in the future, but for now, I’ll just share the recipe. Enjoy!
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For the tuna & veggies:
- 4 (6 ounce) Ahi tuna steaks
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound fettuccine noodles (rice noodles would be great for gluten free)
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
For the sauce:
- thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled
- 2 (12 ounce) bottles teriyaki glaze
- 1 ounce sesame oil
- 2 ounces honey
- Mix sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning together. Coat all sides of the tuna with the mixture pressing down to make sure it is totally covered. Set aside.
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and chop until it is a smooth consistency.
- Cook noodles al dente according to package directions.
- While noodles are cooking, heat some olive oil (enough to coat bottom of sauté pan) and sear each piece of tuna for about 45-60 seconds on each side. You want the edges to change color but the middle to stay pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables in a pan with enough sauce to coat everything (reserving some for drizzling later). Heat for about 3 to 5 minutes then add some of the noodles and incorporate with the veggies and the sauce until all are coated in the sauce. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches).
- Divide noodles and veggies on 4 plates. Thinly slice the tuna and place on top of noodles. Garnish with shredded napa cabbage, shredded carrots, diced scallions and some crushed peanuts.
- When all four dishes are plated, drizzle with some of the remaining sauce and serve!
Ike Shehadeh
April 7, 2012 at 8:06 pmPlease tell Richie to make me one!
<3 Ike