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I’d made a red wine sauce before, but it wasn’t where I wanted it to be. The sauce was a little bland, and a little thin. I kept on making batches of red wine sauce, and none was good enough for you, my Slim People.
It was bugging me. It was keeping me up at night. And then, around dawn, it dawned on me.
I added a little tomato paste to the sauce to thicken it up and give it a little zing. Then I added a little dried oregano to give it some zip. Zip! Zing! It turned out great.
Oregano is the only herb that I prefer dried. Basil? I rarely use dried basil, it is nowhere near as good as fresh. Rosemary? Same thing. Oregano? I like the dried oregano more than the fresh. It tastes mo’ better to me. But what do I know?
A few things before we get started…I put this sauce over ahi tuna steaks. The tuna steaks I used were about an inch and a half thick. Over medium-high heat, I cooked them for 90 seconds per side. They turned out great—the pepper/salt/sugar that I had sprinkled on top gave them a nice sear, and they were a beautiful pink on the inside.
You can also use this sauce over grilled chicken, steak au poivre, or use it as a hair gel or massage oil. She’s a-so nice!
Also, when you light your cognac on fire, be careful. Yes, the subsequent explosion of flame looks so cool and very dramatic, but have the fire department on the line in one hand, and a garden hose in the other.
Also, right before you light the cognac, if there are people around that you don’t like, gather them close to the flame. Or better yet—have them light the cognac. Stand behind them.
Here we go…
INGREDIENTS
2 ahi tuna steaks, about a half pound (8 ounces) each
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher salt (I use it for taste, not for religious reasons, Shalom!)
Brown sugar or raw/turbinado sugar (I sometimes use plain sugar in a pinch)
2 ounces of cognac
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ cup red wine
½ cup stock (I used beef)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
The sauce:
In a small pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil
When the butter melts…
Add the 2 tablespoons of chopped shallots, and the tablespoon garlic
Cook about 2 minutes, stir a few times
Add the 2 ounces of cognac
Stand back, Jack, and set it on fire with one of those long-ass lighters
When the cognac burns off…
Add the 1/2 cup red wine, and the1/2 cup beef stock
Turn the heat on medium-high and reduce for about 5 minutes
Add the oregano, stir
Add tomato paste, stir in for a minute or so
Remove from heat
Let’s cook some fish:
Rinse and pat dry the ahi tuna steaks
Add some fresh cracked black pepper, some kosher salt and a sprinkle of turibinado/brown sugar on top of each steak
Get a fry pan, put it over medium-high heat
Add 2 tabespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil
When the butter starts to smoke, add the tuna, peppered side down
Lightly salt and pepper and sugar the non-spiced side
After 90 seconds, turn over
Cook for another minute and a half
Plate it up
Put some greens on a plate, place the tuna on top, drizzle just a little red wine sauce over each piece, and…
MANGIAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
