Basque Pipérade with Grilled Tuna Steaks + Espaco Rural Bojador Vinho de Talha Tinto 2018 #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating summer grilling. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. 

To kick off the summer season of grilling, host Stacy wroter: This week we'll be sharing recipes for summer grilling - both veggies and meat cooked outdoors over a campfire or in a barbecue pit AND/OR rubs, marinades, spice mixes and sauces for same. Here's today's line-up...

• Basque Pipérade with Grilled Tuna Steaks from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Eggplant with Garlic and Parmesan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Grilled Leg of Lamb from Food Lust People Love
• Stuffed Pizza Burgers from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tandoori Masala - Spice Mixture from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Tequila Lime Chicken from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Kebabs from Palatable Pastime

Basque Pipérade with Grilled Tuna Steaks

While the beautiful grill marks on a fresh slab of tuna always sets my little foodie heart aflutter, it's the pipérade that is the star of this dinner. A sauté of onions, peppers, and tomato, pipérade is perhaps the most patriotic dish of Basque country—the colors represent those of the Basque flag. When in the region, you'll find it served with everything from scrambled eggs to fish and meat. The longer it cooks, the sweeter it gets, so let it simmer on the stovetop for up to a couple of hours, time permitting. 

The #WorldWineTravel group to which I belong just wrote about the Basque wine region, so I decided to share this Basque with the #SundayFunday and offer a bonus wine pairing. Thought the wine is from Portugal, not Basque Country.

In the Glass

Pedro Ribeiro is the man behind the Espaço Rural wines. Though leads the winemaking for another winery, Bojador is a passion project of his own; he aims to create wines in the historical traditions of the area, in this case the Alentejo region of Portugal. This wine is made with an ancient winemaking technique, that is to say it was aged in an amphora. 

Comprised of a blend of 40% Trincadeira, 20% Moreto, and 20% and Tinta Grossa, this wine abounds with red fruit but lingers with an alluring savory finish that hints at the sea with a burst of salinity. It was a delightful match with fresh tuna steaks.

On the Plate

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup cubed pancetta or bacon
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• one jar roasted red peppers (or roast your own), sliced into strips
• 1 pound tomatoes, cored and diced
• 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• freshly ground salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Piment d'Espelette (or red pepper chile flakes)
• four tuna steaks, 1-inch thick

Procedure 

In a large saucepan, warm 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, approximately 14 to 15 minutes. 

Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, parsley, and bay leaf. Season the peppers with salt, pepper, and Piment d'Espelette to taste. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the pipérade is thickened but still loose, approximately 10 minutes. Spoon the pipérade onto a serving platter.

Meanwhile, brush a grill pan with the remaining olive oil. Once smoking, grill the tuna steaks to desired doneness. We like ours medium rare, so approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side.

To serve, arrange the steaks over the pipérade and serve immediately.

That's a wrap for the #SundayFunday grilling event. We'll be back next week with our favorite mushrooms recipes. Stay tuned.