Pistachio Tuna and The Grain

We had some leftover pistachios and some tuna in the freezer, so tonight's challenge was to find a way to make then work together. We *almost* succeeded.

I found this recipe - Pistachio-Crusted Tuna Steaks. We followed the recipe to the letter. It wasn't bad, but it could've been a lot better.

Recipe notes

• We can't figure out why this recipe even calls for pistachios. You can't taste them. So why bother? Bread crumbs will do just fine.
• The recipe tells you to dredge the tuna in the breadcrumb mix. You're going to need to give the mix something to stick to. You can always use egg, but we tried soy sauce and mirin -- not sticky enough to work. Next time, I'll add a dash of honey.
• Make sure you reduce the wine WAY down. Otherwise, it makes an already-not-that-interesting sauce watery. If I had to do this over again, I'd throw half a serrano into the saute pan with the wine, dill, and bay leaf, just to give it a little kick.

Overall, it's totally edible. It's just not all that interesting as written.

The Grains

The side dish was the redeeming factor tonight. Trader Joe's sells a couscous/orzo/quinoa/garbanzo mix called the "Harvest Grains Blend." I call it The Grain, a fact that never fails to amuse Maria, as there's really very little actual grain involved.

Whatever you call it, it's really good.

1. You bring 1 3/4 cups chicken stock to a boil, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 1/4 cup of The Grain.
2. Bring it back to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
3. In the meantime, chop one-half of a pepper (we like red, but whatever) and a couple of green onions.
4. Add to the Grain just before serving, so it stays crunchy.

It's just about my favorite side - textured and interesting, especially with the added veggies - and it gets along with just about any entree.