Involtini di Tonno

Tuna is a great pescatarian alternative in red meat dishes, especially ones like a classic Italian involtini where it’s wrapped around a tasty filling and poached in a rich tomato sauce. Traditional veal involtini often includes meat in the filling, but cheese, herbs and umami-rich porcini make for a delicious vegetarian stuffing. Add a side dish of grilled asparagus if you like (see video below).

Serves 2

Ingredients

15g dried porcini mushrooms
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
300g tuna steak
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ small brown onion
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1½ tablespoons dry white wine
1 slice rustic bread, crusts removed, finely diced
1 egg
25g freshly grated parmesan cheese
15g pine nuts, chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed
210g crushed tomato
Crusty bread, for serving

Method

Soak porcini in warm water for about 15 minutes.
Reserve a few small oregano leaves for garnish, chop the rest and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut the fish horizontally into 2 thin pieces then pound gently with a meat mallet to flatten each piece thinly.
Cut each piece in half.
Heat half the oil in a small heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat.
Add onion and a good pinch of salt, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender but not coloured.
Squeeze the porcini dry and chop finely.
Stir porcini into the onion, increase heat to medium-high and cook for 4-5 minutes, until onion starts to brown.
Increase heat to high, add wine and stir well to remove any bits stuck to the base of the pan. Cook for a few minutes, until most of the wine evaporates.
Place bread, egg, parmesan, pine nuts, parsley, chopped oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper in the bowl of a small food processor.
Add the onion mixture and set the frying pan aside to reuse (don’t wash it).
Blitz to form a coarse paste.
Place tuna pieces on a workbench with the cut side facing away from you.
Divide the mixture between them.
Spread it evenly over the entire surface, except for a 1cm margin at the top.
Roll up to enclose the filling, place on a plate, seam side down and refrigerate for a few minutes.
Place remaining oil and garlic in the reserved frying pan over a low heat and cook for a minute or so, until aromatic.
Increase heat to high, add tomato, a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt and stir to combine well and incorporate any bits stuck to the base of the pan.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add tuna rolls seam side down, baste with the sauce, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, basting occasionally, until tuna is just cooked through.
Arrange rolls on a platter, spoon sauce over the top and around.
Sprinkle with reserved oregano leaves and serve with crusty bread.