Seared tuna steak with roasted vegetables

A recent study suggests that the Mediterranean diet could make you smarter! Phil Vickery shows us how to eat ourselves clever with his mouth-watering Mediterranean seared tuna and vegetable dish.

Serves: 4Preparation time: 45 minutesCooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

100g courgettes, cut into large shards1 large onion, sliced into thin wedges125g aubergines, cut into long strips100g green peppers, sliced, 2cm100g yellow peppers, sliced 2cm100ml olive oil200g potatoes, peeled, cubed, 2cm150g carrots, 4cm x 1cm stripsSalt and ground white pepper1Ž2 tsp coriander seeds, crushedPinch ground allspice4 cloves garlic, chopped400ml tomato juice2 tbsp sugar2 tbsp red wine vinegar1 x 400g chickpeas, canned, drained200g natural yoghurt3 tbsp fresh, roughly chopped corianderDrizzle of coriander

Method

Pre heat the oven to 220°C gas 7.

Place the courgettes, onions, aubergines, peppers and garlic into a deep tray and drizzle with a little oil.

Place the potatoes and carrots into another tray and drizzle with the last of the oil.

Season all well with salt, pepper, coriander and allspice and mix well.

Roast all of them in a very hot oven until all the vegetables are cooked. At the last 10 minutes of vegetable cook add the garlic so it doesn’t burn.

Next, place the tomato juice, sugar and vinegar into a pan, season and then cook down to roughly half the original volume.

At that point, re-season and add the chickpeas, mixing in well. All the above steps can be done well in advance.

Finally, mix the tomato sauce with the vegetables and re-season.

To serve, place the roasted mixture just warmed through, into a large bowl, top with natural yoghurt, fresh coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.

Optional serving suggestions:

Heat a griddle pan and sear the tuna on each side: 2 minutes, rare; 3 minutes, medium; and 5 minutes, well done.

400g tuna chunks can be added and warmed through for 2-3 minutes and serve. Must be left undercooked in the centre.

350g chicken could also be added and simmered for 10-15 minutes.

Place 150-200g of finished roasted veg mix in a small ovenproof dish. Make a small hollow in the centre and drop a fresh egg and bake for 10 minutes and serve.