Seared Tuna Steak over Fennel-Sugar Snap Slaw with Lemon-flavored Asparagus Avgolemono Soup

Seared Tuna Steak over Fennel-Sugar Snap Slaw with Lemon-flavored Asparagus Avgolemono Soup

It may not officially be summer yet, but it’s past Memorial Day and its hot enough to make a hen lay a hard boiled egg; so a tall glass of Radler and a refreshing lemon-fennel flavored summer beer pairing is just the thing to cool you off. This soup is made with tender fresh homegrown asparagus, lemon juice, and fennel seeds, for a refreshing tart pick-me-up; while the slaw contains sliced chilled fennel bulb for a mildly lemon-ish liquorish-like flavor, sugar snap peas for their cool vegetable sweetness, and the whole thing is drizzled in dressing made with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Complementarily paired with (Heineken’s) Amstel Light’s “Amstel Radler” a revitalizing lager-lemon juice blend perfect for summer sipping (if don’t believe me, Bon Appetit’s June issue has some Radler suggestions on page 30).

Homegrown Asparagus

Lemon-flavored Asparagus Avgolemono Soup
Author: [url href=”http://www.mcann2pu.com”]mcann2pu[/url], Inspired by “[url href=”http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemony-roasted-asparagus-soup” target=”_blank”]Lemony Roasted Asparagus Soup[/url]” [i]Food & Wine[/i] May 2015 page 66.
Ingredients
  • 2 bundles of homegrown Asparagus
  • 1 large homegrown Sweet Onion, diced
  • 2 homegrown Leeks, cleaned and diced
  • 1 cup Celery, diced
  • 2/3 cup Vermouth
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 cup homemade Chicken Broth
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 Lemon
  • ½ teaspoon Fennel Seed
  • 1 package of dried Oyster Mushrooms
  • 3-4 Fennel Fronds
  • ¼ cup Plain Yogurt
Instructions
  1. Wash and dry asparagus.
  2. Select ~4 of the larger stalks of whole asparagus and set aside. Slice remaining asparagus and combine in a large pot with vermouth, onions, celery, leeks, and cool water.
  3. Bring contents to a boil, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked and soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Puree using either an immersion blender or transfer vegetables to a countertop blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until as smooth as possible.
  5. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any fibrous, woody parts; and return the mixture to heat.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks and freshly squeezed lemon juice and whisk.
  7. Remove a portion of the warm soup and slowly pour into the egg yolk and lemon mixture while vigorously whisking the mixture.
  8. When combined and thick, add this mixture back into the soup and stir well to distribute it.
  9. Meanwhile, soak dried mushrooms in warm water to reconstitute (until soft).
  10. Take the reserved whole stalks of asparagus and, using a vegetable peeler, cut the stalks into thin ribbons by pulling the peeler down the length of each stalk.
  11. Steam the asparagus ribbons over a pot of boiling water, in a steaming basket, or in a shallow covered dish in the microwave; after cooking, allow to cool.
  12. Serve soup (either warm or chilled) and garnish with streaks of plain yogurt, oyster mushrooms, asparagus ribbons, and fennel fronds.
Notes
Note: Soup can be served either warm or chilled.[br]If a thicker consistency is desired, a butter and flower rue can be used to thicken the soup.

Mise en Place for Asparagus Soup

Fennel-Sugar Snap Slaw
Author: [url href=”http://www.mcann2pu.com” target=”_blank”]mcann2pu[/url] Inspired by “[url href=”http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/salmon_sugar_snap_fennel_slaw.html” target=”_blank”]Seared Salmon withe Sugar Snap-Fennel Slaw[/url]” [i]Eating Well[/i] page 6
Ingredients
  • 1 large Fennel Bulb (or ~2 medium sized ones)
  • 4-5 sprigs of Fennel Fronds
  • 4 cups of Fresh Sugar Snap Peas
  • ½ cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 5 tablespoons extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 4 tablespoons (minced) worth of homegrown Sweet Onions
  • 1 teaspoon Light Brown Sugar
  • ½ teaspoon homemade Basil Salt (can substitute with regular Salt)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
  • 1 stalk of Celery
Instructions
  1. Wash (in a mixture of 10% cider vinegar and water) sugar snap peas, fennel bulb, fennel fronds, celery, and onions; then dry.
  2. Either with a clean, sharp pairing knife, or by hand, trim sugar snap peas by removing the top stem end and pulling off the tough, fibrous string running along the seam of the pea pod, set trimmed peas aside.
  3. Mince the sweet onions and combine in a bowl with: lemon juice, brown sugar, oil, teaspoon black pepper, and salt; set aside.
  4. Remove the top from the fennel bulb, half, and finely slice the bulb either by hand with a sharp blade, or with the use of a mandolin. Then slice the sugar snap peas lengthwise into matchsticks.
  5. Combine the sliced fennel bulb and sliced sugar snap peas in the bowl of reserved dressing and toss to coat.
  6. Garnish individual portions with fennel fronds when serving.

Seared Tuna Steak over Fennel-Sugar Snap Slaw with Lemon-flavored Asparagus Avgolemono Soup

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