Couscous with fresh tuna and sun-dried tomatoes pesto

• 15 minutes to prepare • 15 minutes to cook • Serves 4

10 MINUTES RECIPE

 

Summer is coming, thus why not to start thinking of good, fresh, main course dishes you can prepare in advance? So that you don't have to worry on the way back from the sea, from a walk in the mountains or in the woods: lunch it is ready at home.

I have used in this recipe simple ingredients with great taste: tuna fillets and olives, both dried and fresh cherry tomatoes. Few drops of apple vinegar give a sweet and sour, unforgettable, touch. All these ingredients are called to season the couscous in an easy, intriguing and quick-to-prepare recipe. Basically a softer version of Cucchiaio's one.

Here are ingredients for the 4-serving recipe:

For the couscous 

280 g couscous
300 g fresh tuna steak
10 cherry tomatoes
10 black olives


For the pesto

6 cherry tomatoes
8 sun-dried tomatoes preserved in EVO oil 
4 tablespoons EVO oil 
2 tablespoon apple vinegar
500 ml vegetable broth (made with 1 stock cube)
salt and pepper

1. Place 500 ml of cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and add the stock cube 
2. Put the couscous in a bowl. Pour 400 ml of hot broth over it. Let the couscous to swell for 10 minutes, covered by a lid
3. Meanwhile, place the fresh tuna on a plate, add a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper and moisten with 1 tablespoon of apple vinegar. Marinate for 10 minutes
4. Add 1 tablespoon of EVO oil to the couscous and fluff its grains with a fork
5. Prepare the pesto of sun-dried tomatoes: pour sun-dried tomatoes in a blender without draining them from the oil in which they are preserved. Add 3 tablespoons of EVO oil, 6 cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, a pinch of salt and the broth kept aside. Blend until the mixture is fairly grainy
6. Heat well a non-stick grill pan while duly draining tuna steak from the marinade
7. Cook tuna for about 5 minutes per side. You will achieve the optimal cooking when tuna flesh is still pink in the middle.
8. Season the couscous with the pesto of sun-dried tomatoes and stir well to mix everything. Cut the tuna steak into squares not too small and add them to the bowl with couscous
9. Divide in half both the remaining tomatoes and the olives and add all the couscous; stir again to mix the ingredients well. Add pepper, salt if necessary and serve.

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

La Graine et le Mulet. Almost.