Sunrise Kitchen with SOWELA: Seared tuna with risotto cake in a ginger and hazelnut sauce

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - This morning, Chef Chad Jackson and Lauren May with the SOWELA Culinary Arts Program joined us to show us how to make a marinated and seared tuna, English pea and sunchoke risotto cake, pickled peaches, with ginger and hazelnut sauce.

This dish is a sophisticated combination of bold, sweet, and savory elements.

Tuna Marinade

• 4 oz- tuna
• ¼ t- dry mustard
• ¼ t- ground thyme
• ¼ t- ground coriander
• ¼ t- salt
• ¼ t- pepper
• 1/4 t- garlic powder
• 1.5 t- olive oil

Mix all ingredients and marinate tuna for 8 hours

Risotto

• 2 T- olive oil
• ½ cup yellow onion, small diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2C- Arborio rice
• ½ C Sauvignon Blanc
• 5 C- chicken stock, warmed
• ¼ C- grated parmesan
• ¼ C- English peas
• ¼ C- sunchokes, medium diced and blanched

Sweat onions in olive oil. Add rice and garlic and stir to toast all. Deglaze with white wine.

Slowly incorporate warm stock until rice is creamy.

Add parmesan, peas and sunchokes.

Remove from heat and spread risotto on parchment lined sheet pan.

Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Cut risotto into desired form and weight.

Pickled Peaches

• 4 C sugar
• 1 C white vinegar
• 1 C water
• 5 ea cloves
• 4 # peaches, blanched peeled and cut into slices
• 5 ea cinnamon sticks

Mix water, sugar, vinegar, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Heat and stir to make a syrup.

Pull from heat and cover peaches.

Cool and steep for 24 hours.

Ginger Hazelnut Sauce

• ½ C hazelnuts, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2T- Soy Sauce
• 2T- Rice Vinegar
• 3 oz- grated ginger
• 2 T- Olive oil
• 2 T- Sesame oil
• Juice of 2 limes

Mix all ingredients, except oils in a blender and puree until. Slowly Incorporate oil until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours

Pan sear tuna for 1.5 minutes on each side. Cool and cut into thin slices against the grain.

Pan sear risotto cake.

To Finish

Top the risotto cake with tuna. Garnish with pickled peaches and ginger hazelnut sauce.