I always seem to forget that artichokes aren't exclusively a spring vegetable, and that for a week or two at the tail end of the summer they make a brief, thistly appearance. Wanting to make the most of these late-season artichokes, I turned to the pages of Laurent Tourondel's Fresh from the Market. The cool weather had me searching for a heartier, main dish of a recipe, something substantial but delicate enough to highlight the sweet artichokes. This recipe for Grilled Tuna Stuffed with Herbs and Tapenade was exactly what I had in mind.

The bulk of the recipe are thick tuna steaks stuffed with a Mediterranean mix of chopped herbs, olive tapenade, and capers which are marinated and grilled medium-rare. The artichokes come into play as a garnish, thinly sliced, and scattered raw on top of the tuna steaks. It's one of those dishes that you can taste just by reading down the list of ingredients, a combination of strong and mild flavors that are some how perfectly balanced. The herby, briny stuffing flavors the tuna from the inside out and the sweet slices of artichoke and nutty shavings of Parmesan finish the dish with alternating bites of sweet, salty, rich, and vegetal flavors.

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Fresh from the Market to give away this week.