Over the years, tall food has lost its
shine for me. (tall food 1. n. the
fussy, no standard, variety of grub in
which chefs stack various ingredients,
height of stack is directly proportional
to cost of entree, traditionally
accompanied by various colored sauce
squiggles.)

Fancy has a place and usually a
Michelin star. But the 5 ingredient rule
that most chefs espouse at home is my
rule of thumb. As in, 5 ingredients is
the point of diminishing returns at
which any more ingredients would be
detrimental to your recipe.

Tuna Tataki w/ Leek Puree

1 lb steak of sashimi grade Ahi tuna
2-3 stalks of leek
2 yellow fin potatoes
Ponzu
Butter
Cream
Sea Salt & shit loads of pepper

serves 2 entrees or 4 smaller plates

Put cut and washed leeks in boiling water, enough just to cover. Peel, cut and steam(no boiling) the potatoes. Fast forward 20 minutes: strain the leeks and save the broth for a soup. Now make mashed leek and potatoes. Use butter and cream at your own personal comfort level and season with S&P.

For tuna, trim skin + a few cm’s of meat. Cut tuna into long, rectangular blocks*. Set your pepper grinder on a medium grind and coat every inch of the blocks. Heat skillet to med-high, add a bit of olive oil. Sear blocks for a few seconds per side, maybe 10 Mississippi. Be careful, err on the side of underdone. Let blocks rest in the fridge for 10 minutes; then slice with your sharpest knife. Plate and sprinkle with Ponzu (you can add lime juice, sesame oil, whatever you like).

**BTW…No one ever regrets buying a sushi knife. They have a special beveled edge that lifts the fish from the knife for a cleaner cut. I like this one: 30$ for 14 inches of sushi knife.

I just have to drink bubbles with this, Prosecco, Cava, Cremant. Duval Leroy is one of my favorite of the widely available Champagnes. They charge a fair price (you should be able to find it for >$30) and maintain a quality above and beyond most marquee Champagnes: complex, yet clean, with a bit of biscuit. Coincidentally, they also have one of the most affordable and delicious rose Champagnes. Check their website here: www.duval-leroy.com

In the >$20 category, my favorite non-Champagne is the Cave de Vire Cremant de Bourgogne. All Chardonnay, a dead ringer for Champagne, without paying for the address. Available in Washington state through Cavatappi Distribuzione.