A Mid-Summer Night's Pasta

Mushroom Marinade
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
A dollop of Hearty German Style Mustard
2 Cloves Garlic Thinly Sliced
1 tsp fresh Coriander Seeds
1 Tsp salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Mix ingrediants for marinade. Pop those coriander seeds open with your fingers or with a mortar & pestle. Add the Portabellas (see below). Let sit for 1/2 an hour.

Pasta
2 Cups Whole Grain Rotini
1 Cup Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2-3/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan (we go heavy on the cheese)
12 or so Fresh Basil Leaves ripped up with your hands
Extra Virgin First Press Olive Oil
6-10 Baby Portobella Mushrooms
Small Package of Italian Sausage (optional)

Simmer the Sun Dried Tomatoes in the Chicken Stock until well absorbed.
Brown the Italian Sausage and drain. Add some Oregano if it needs some spicing up.
Pre-heat a grill or broiler to cook the mushrooms.
Boil some salted water for the rotini.
Grill the mushrooms for 8-10 minutes. Scrape out all of the marinade with a rubber spatula and fill the hollows of the mushrooms.

Combine rotini, sausage, grilled mushrooms, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, basil, more black pepper, and drench with olive oil. Toss and serve with a salad.

Chile Panko Crusted Tuna

Sauce & Marinade

Combine following:

3 cloves of garlic diced

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 Clementine

¼ cup of Soy Sauce

1 tsp Peanut Oil

2 tbs Dijon Mustard

2 tbs fresh Chili Powder

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Mix and simmer on stove until mingled, approximately 8 minutes. Take off heat and add:

¼ cup of Honey

Pour 1/3 of marinade over tuna. Let sit for 30 minutes (or longer in fridge). Reduce rest of marinade until it is a syrupy consistency.

Chili/Panko Crust

Combine:

½ cup of Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

¼ cup of fresh Chili Powder

1 tbsp good quality Hungarian Paprika

1 tsp of Salt

1 tsp of Ground Black Pepper

Grind panko/chili mixture with clean fingers until mixed, then coat Tuna well by repeatedly turning and pressing firmly into steak. Heat skillet (preferably cast iron) until it is super hot and add enough peanut and olive oil to heavily coat bottom of pan. Set your intake fan for high, in case it gets real smoky (and that's vicious chili powder smoke, too). Sear tuna by cooking 15-40 seconds on each side, depending on how rare you prefer your tuna. Just be careful not to burn the crust too much (a little blackened is okay). Take off heat and drizzle with remaining sauce, dress each steak with ½ a ripe avocado, 1 tbs sour cream, a dollop of red raspberry jam or orange marmalade (optional), and chopped cilantro.

For a mole-like effect, pair with a creamy, chocolatly beer such as Bell's Double Cream Stout, Upland Bad Elmer's Porter, or (for you lucky folks in Hudson Valley country) Keegan Ales Mother's Milk.

Enjoy.