
A few weeks ago, I raved about a new Italian cookbook called
A16 Food + Wine that has a delicious (and unique)
meatball recipe. Well, I'm still learning great things from it. This week, I made a
panzanella with tuna and capers, another item on the menu at the
launch party.

Give tuna salad a gourmet makeover by using fresh tuna instead of its canned counterpart. In this delicious dinner recipe, the tuna steak is seared in a fennel, black pepper infused olive oil. Grown up ingredients — capers, garlic, and black olives — are stirred into the mayonnaise based dressing.

Tuna steaks are a delicious and healthier alternative to beef steaks. The meaty fish — that takes well to most seasonings — is filling and easy to cook. In this provocative recipe, tuna is topped with a pungent, Italian style salsa verde and chunks of ripe avocado.

If you're looking for a fun
Valentine's Day side, look no further than this Beet and Fennel Salad with Fried Capers. The beets provide a vibrant red color and the fennel brings the zing. You could even make it super-cutesy by cutting the beets into heart shapes.