Fork and Gobble It: Guest Shot #2

Our resident Foodie Friday writer is off enjoying his honeymoon in Italy, so Manager David Zinman again stands in with a great sandwich recipe.

Spring is here and with it are images of flowers, dining al fresco and picnics.
As I plan my own outdoor eating I reflected on one of my favorite sandwiches, tuna salad, and how to adapt it for an upgraded experience. Starting with the obvious I decided that fresh tuna steak would trump canned tuna. After a quick sear to medium-rare, allowing it to cool and dicing the steak to form my base, my next decision was what binder to use. It seemed a shame to use mayonnaise so a search through the cabinets turned up some really good extra virgin olive oil (Todd English First Cold Press to be precise) and homemade white wine vinegar.
When I mixed the impromptu vinaigrette with the tuna the combination smelled heavenly but I knew that more flavor was called for so the search continued. A little minced onion and garlic, a little coriander, oregano, salt and pepper were the next additions to the tuna and my taste buds were in overdrive. The final pieces of the flavor puzzle were oven roasted tomatoes, baby arugula and a baguette. After all, tuna salad sandwich needs some salad. As I was tinkering, I thought what will I drink with this so while the tomatoes roasted, a peek into the wine closet turned up a bottle of 2009 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé - perfection all around!

Tuna Salad Sandwich, Upgraded

-6-8 ounce tuna steak
-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more or less as needed
-1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, more or less as needed
-1/4 onion, minced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon ground coriander
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-Salt, to taste
-Pepper, to taste
-3 plum tomatoes, cut in half length-wise Arugula 6-inch baguette, sliced

Preheat oven to 450°. Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the tomatoes are concentrated and starting to caramelize. Cool to room temperature. While the tomatoes are roasting, heat a pan to medium-high, coat the pan with a little oil and sear the tuna for 2 minutes per side to medium-rare. Allow to cool to room temperature. Dice tuna and, in a large bowl, gently combine with oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper. Assemble sandwich with tuna mixture topped with tomato and arugula.

Any Provencal Rosé will be a delightful accompaniment.