Some days ago we received…a surprising e mail…somebody, a loyal customer, sent us the recipe of a traditional Sicilian dish prepared using our Vincotto PrimitivO Balsamic. Here for you the recipe:

True Sicilian cooking often combines wonderfully sweet and sour (agrodolce) flavors in brilliant ways, such as in caponata, or a tuna steak alla messinese I once tasted. I\’ve recreated it using the naturally sweet flavor of vincotto primitivo salentino – far superior to any commercial faux \’balsamic\’ type of product.
If you are not worried about eating raw fish, tuna is especially delicious when cooked still red or at least pink in the center. It should absolutely never be overcooked – dry like cotton! It\’s best to pierce the filet with a toothpick to check that it has not overcooked.

I recommend using SALTED capers – the best kind are big, almost the size of peas, from Sicily or Morocco. Do NOT rinse/desalinate them -they will add the right saltiness to the dish, so that it will not be necessary to add much, or any, salt, when you taste and correct the sauce at the end.  And the delicious caper flavoured salt truly lifts the dish to a high level, especially combined with the vincotto.

- olive oil
- fresh tuna fillet (or palamita) steaks, cut thick – approx 3-4 centimeters

-  onion, or green onion (porri/spunzali) – including some of the green stems – chopped

- pomodorini, roughly chopped
-  salted (NOT vinegared) capers, unrinsed
- sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

- dry white wine
- salt, pepper
- Terra Apuliae vincotto balsamico
- Parsley (optional)

Heat olive oil in a saut̩ pan over medium/high heat. Brown the steaks very briefly on each side Рjust a couple of minutes at most. Only brown the steaks quickly, do NOT allow them to cook. They should still be quite raw/red inside, and have just obtained a bit of brown color. Remove the steaks and set aside.

Lower the flame to medium, add a bit more oil to the pan, then begin to sauté the spunzali/onions for about 3-5 minutes, Add the chopped tomatoes,  capers, and thyme, if used. Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, break down and begin to make a nice rustic textured sauce. Add a little dry white wine and cook a few more minutes to evaporate.  Add about a tablespoon of vicotto, stir and cook a minute or so and taste. Correct the sauce to your liking, adding salt or more vincotto if necessary.

Add the barely cooked steaks to the pan. Turn and stir, covering them completely with the sauce. Allow the tuna to heat through just a few minutes, but NOT overcook. Test with a toothpick or cut into one to check that the cottura is the way you like it.

Serve immediately, pouring all of the sauce over the tuna.  Garnish with parsley, if desired.