and not a bit o’ pineapple or maraschino cherry to be found!
THIS sweet and sour – courtesy of David Ruggerio and epicurious.com – comes by it’s flavors with just a bit of sugar, some white wine (I used Italian vermouth), and some red wine vinegar. I should also note that it is a wicked forgiving recipe as well; tasting pretty darned fantastic even after I added the parsley too soon (oops!).
I used some frozen Ahi I’d picked up at Target (see ‘stuff I like’ for details), and was a little hesitant about not using fresh tuna in such a lightly seasoned recipe, but I needn’t have worried – it was easily as good as the Sesame Ginger Tuna I’ve been making; and now has me thinking of a recipe I haven’t made in ages: Dalmation (the region, not the dog) tuna steaks. Hmmm, that recipe will have to be made and posted, very soon, I think…
BUT! – back to the Auruduci – I served ours with some spinach ravioli we picked up at Costco and a fresh salad with Caesar dressing – nice.
CAVEAT! This was wicked good as it is – but NEXT time, I plan on doubling the sauce – just so’s you know…
INGREDIENTS
Tuna:
•2 tuna steaks, about 1/2 inch thick – of course, fresh is always better, but if you’ve been to Target’s freezer section, just be sure to let yours thaw in the fridge for eight hours or so
•1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
•Salt and pepper
•3/4 cup flour
Sauce:
•2 tsp granulated sugar
•1/4 cup red wine vinegar
•1/3 cup dry white wine – I used some nice Italian vermouth I keep on hand for cooking and martinis – this was a simple weeknight dinner and I didn’t see the need for opening a fresh bottle of wine. Ermmm, we’re also 
not HUGE white wine drinkers, so I would’ve had to go out and buy a bottle of something, or substitute one of the reds we have stashed under the hutch (our wine cellar). The vermouth was by far the better choice, I think.
•2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley – I never really measure this – I LOVE fresh parsley, and just use as much as I feel is right (usually far more than what may have been originally called for).
Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a hot skillet over medium heat.
Add the sliced onion, salt and pepper, and cook for until the onions are tender and golden brown – about nine minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Season the tuna with salt and pepper, and lightly flour on both sides. Set the heat under your skillet to high and add another 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Ermmm, you’ll also want to turn your vent fan on – HIGH – ‘cause things are gonna get smoky. Sear the tuna for two minutes on each side, then remove from the pan and keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the sugar, vinegar, wine, and onions to the pan (this is where I screwed up – I added the parsley at this stage). Cook for about two minutes, THEN add the parsley, along with the seared tuna.
Cook for another two minutes or so, remove the tuna to a warm platter, pour the pan juices over, and serve.
Since I was serving ours with ravioli, I put the tuna on top of some of that on our individual dinner plates and divided the sauce between the two (you can see how the sauce was a bit on the meager side – hence my plans to double it next time).
Sooooooooooooooo good!