Mayonnaise…Scallops?
Sometimes ideas pop into my head that just work. Of course, I’m not like my oldest sister, who has the ability to make something out of cocoa powder, a box of spaghetti, and a jar of pickles. But I like to think every once in awhile I bring something new to the dinner table.
Take a couple weeks ago, for instance. We happened to have a couple of beautiful, succulent scallops that were leftover from a night of sushi and burgers with the neighbors (somehow that combo just worked for us). Ordinarily, I would automatically turn to my resident grill master, or pan sear them with some garden herbs. However, a rummage in the fridge produced some broccoli grown all but 2 miles away, which had somehow gotten lost in our sea of CSA and farm market vegetables. Too often do our vegetables end up blanched, sauteed, or roasted as an afterthought. What would help us learn to appreciate both the protein AND the vegetable?
For some reason I thought of one of Hubby’s favorite dishes – mayonnaise shrimp. If you’ve never had it at a Cantonese restaurant before, here’s an example. I’ve never made it at home, and I shudder when I think about how the shrimp and walnuts are deep-fried, then coated with a heaping combination of mayonnaise and condensed milk. It is OH SO GOOD though.
Combine that inspiration with my Dad’s love of cornstarch in his cooking, a basic awareness of fat consumption, and great ingredients, and I present you with:
Mayonnaise Scallops
Original Recipe
Serves 2
Make the candied walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves. Add walnuts and boil for 5 minutes. Remove walnuts and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place walnuts on a small cookie sheet and bake in oven, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 5 more minutes. Set aside.
Make the mayonnaise sauce:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl, quickly to prevent curdling. Adjust acidity or sweetness if necessary. Set aside.
Make the broccoli and scallops:
Broccoli
1 head broccoli, chopped, stems peeled
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Scallops
4 large scallops, sliced in half vertically
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Blanch the broccoli: Boil a large pot of water. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl with water and ice. Add broccoli stems and boil for 2 minutes. Add broccoli florets and boil for 2-3 minutes, until florets are bright green and tender crisp. Transfer broccoli to the ice bath to stop cooking, then drain well.
Meanwhile, dredge the scallops: Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Dredge each scallop half in the cornstarch mixture and shake off the excess.
Pan fry the broccoli: Heat a large saucepan on medium high heat with 2 tsp olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir until garlic is aromatic but not burned, about 1 minute. Carefully add broccoli (it may splatter) and saute until tender but not mushy, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan onto serving plates and scrape out any debris.
Pan fry the scallops: Add 2 tsp olive oil to the pan. Add scallops and fry for 2-3 minutes or until scallop releases easily from the pan and is golden brown. Flip over scallops and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown. If necessary, fry the sides of the scallops as well. Drain on paper towels and place on top of broccoli.
Top scallops with mayonnaise sauce, then walnuts (reheat walnuts in oven at 300 degrees for 5 minutes, if needed). Serve with rice.
A Day for Dads
When dreaming up what to make for our fathers at this year’s Father’s Day Dinner, I started thinking about those little thought bubbles you see in cartoons.
These would be our Moms’ thought bubble words: mild, roasted, grilled, steamed, white meat (i.e. chicken or fish), garlic free, low sodium
And these would be our Dads’: fried, grilled, red meat (i.e. beef beef beef), spicy, peppery, salty, garlicky, FRIED
So on the one day a year the fathers actually get the say (well, according to my mom, such a day doesn’t exist), we dedicated the food to what our Dads dream about.
What Did We Cook?
We definitely enjoyed this meal European style – started around 12:30 and ended at 5. The slow pace really helped, since as usual we made too much food.
We recently found a primo fishmonger at one of the indoor farmers’ markets that bests the one near us. He gladly brought down some fresh calamari from the shop just for us. When he took it out, he asked, “So how are you guys going to cook it?” I said, “Ummm…fry it”, anticipating the noticeable cringe from the man who just sold us these beautiful babies. He goes, “Do me a favor. Grill some of them in lemon, basil, salt and pepper. For the fried ones, I like to soak them in buttermilk first, then dip in Wasa flour.”
We guiltily took the calamari home and thought it best to follow his wishes. Well, I couldn’t find the Wasa flour, but I think we did him (and the squid) justice:
The fried calamari was accompanied by a slightly spicy marinara that I made from plain tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano and basil. The entire 2 pounds were consumed in about 3 minutes. Great props to the guys at Metropolitan Seafood (metroseafood.com)!
The main course was an array of fresh vegetables topped with a juicy ribeye steak. Veggies featured were peas (my first time ever using fresh peas), zephyr squash (half green and yellow on the same squash), kohlrabi (sliced thinly and hiding under the steak), and vidalia onions (not local yet, and of course fried). The plate was garnished with some local micro arugula pea leaves, which are AMAZINGLY delicious and beautiful.
Wish I had taken a picture of the ribeye. It was encrusted with a mix of peppercorns, coffee beans, rosemary, and parsley – all ground up in the coffee grinder Hubby never uses. Extra crust for Hubby’s Dad. The sauce was a balsamic reduction with black cherries, cherry preserves, red wine, and honey. Mmmmmmm I think it’s the sexiest sauce I’ve made to date.
Last but not least, we had dessert. Sorry guys, I didn’t make the ice cream this time around, but we did stick to local goods. Hubby grilled some super sweet pineapple skewers with just a touch of local honey. We tossed in some blueberries that we picked the day before for some added color. It was a perfect, simple ending.
I think we had people leaving with happy thought bubbles.
Happy Father’s Day!
Filed under Meat, Savory | Comment (0)Finally Did Something With Beets Other Than Roasting
As I’ve posted before, Hubby and I LOVE roasted beets. We can’t get enough of them. But every once in awhile, I have to be ok with change. Our CSA is quickly showing us how great change is, with the recipes provided in every newsletter suggesting what to do with our vegetables.
Last night we scarfed up omelettes with CSA swiss chard (did you know that’s actually the leafy greens attached to beets?) and an abundance of herbs from our deck pots, plus beet pancakes – thanks for the recipe, Heather and Nate (our lovely CSA owners)! Here’s a picture that I found online that is more or less what we had. It looks like a dark red latke.
Tip #1: Make sure you brown the pancake fully so it cooks in the middle. Ours was deliciously crisp on the outside but a little gummy on the inside. I probably also mixed the flour in more than I tossed.
Tip #2: Don’t wear your work clothes while grating beets by hand. Especially if they are nice, white, and silk. “Honey? Can I have an apron please?” “I told you to change your clothes.” Meh.
Filed under Recipe, Savory, Vegetarian | Comment (1)Have you heard of Community Supported Agriculture?
CSA is a way for you to enjoy fresh-from-the-farm produce as it’s meant to be – eating what’s in season, picked right from the field. Each person purchases a half or full share, giving you several pounds of vegetables and fruit every week or so. Most CSA farms do not sell to the outside – what’s grown is exclusively for shareholders. Many times you get to volunteer on the farm as well, having a true hand in what you’re eating!
This is the first year we’re trying one – we’re actually splitting a half-share with my in-laws since I can’t really eat lettuce (and boy, do you get a lot of it). We don’t reap enough in our bi-weekly share to feed us for two weeks, so we still do make trips to the farmer’s market.
One of the best things about a CSA – aside from what I’ve already mentioned – is being exposed to new things I’ve never made or eaten before, and being challenged to cook them that week. For 2 full-time working adults, it’s difficult to think of ways to cook them other than stir-frys on those exhausting weekdays. Luckily our CSA posts recipe suggestions!
In our first pickup:
- 2 heads of romaine, 1 head butter lettuce, 1 head red lettuce
- 1 lb. salad mix
- Radishes
- Young turnips
- 5 garlic scapes
- Frill (spicy and looks like frisee)
- 1 lb. Mustard greens
- 1 lb. Spinach
- 1 giant head bok choy
- 5 tatsoi
At first glance, I thought I knew what everything was. But then I realized that I’ve never actually cooked anything before other than the spinach, lettuce, and bok choy!
The most interesting item was the garlic scape. You actually let garlic keep growing until there is very little bulb and the green shoot gets long and curly. The taste is somewhere between garlic and scallion. We tossed it in our veggie sautes and lettuce cups (last post, didn’t include it in the recipe) and it added a nice roundness instead of the sharpness you get from garlic.
Other interesting uses: turnips glazed with butter and ginger ale (an Alton Brown recipe recommended by the CSA), and radishes that I sliced into coins, topped with fresh oregano, and roasted.
Want to find a CSA near you? http://www.localharvest.org/
Filed under Savory | Comments (2)Basil is where it’s at
My husband grew up eating loads of fresh basil and pesto thanks to his family’s savvy gardening skills. My grandmother had an awesome Chinese vegetable garden when I was little, but once she passed away anything that made an attempt at cultivation in my parents’ yard sadly suffered from lack of care. I was so glad when we got married and Hubby brought his well-learned plant knowledge to our home.
In past years, it was all about the Italian basil. It’s really the only kind of basil you get from your typical local Home Depot/Lowes/nursery. I love it and I crave it – but what I’ve really wanted since last summer was some Thai basil. The very smell makes my mouth water because I think about Thai noodles, basil beef, and all those other dishes evoking that distinctively sweet but slightly licorice flavor.
Along our decently long daily commute, Hubby and I pass a town that is literally a post office, butcher, general store, restaurant, and plant nursery. But what a town! Barbara, who with her husband both lives on top of and runs the nursery, sells the most sumptuous vegetation we have ever come across. She sells mostly decorative plants – we’ve had many compliments on the unusual shade plants purchased from their little store, but also a variety of organic herbs. When I asked her if she could get Thai basil, she was super excited and ended up purchasing 12 different kinds of basil from her grower!
We ended up coming home not only with the Thai basil, but also Christmas basil (cinnamon flavor), and lime basil (smells and tastes like lime juice poured on a basil leaf, incredible). It is amazing how much these babies kick up your meals.
Here’s a recipe for some wonderful lettuce cups I made the other day. Note that there are peas in the picture but that’s because we mixed it together with the meat for leftovers.
Bison Thai Lettuce Cups
Original Recipe
Makes 4 large servings
1 small onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, small dice
1 lb. ground bison or lean beef
1/4 cup Thai basil, chopped (if you don’t have any, try adding some lemongrass and a bay leaf instead – pick them out before eating)
1 T cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Juice from 2 limes, divided
1 T cornstarch
2 T water
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve with:
12 large lettuce leaves (we prefer romaine but you can wrap them with a softer lettuce)
Thai basil leaves
Lime wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Bean sprouts
White rice
Saute onions and garlic (also lemongrass/bay leaf if using instead of basil) in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat until soft but not brown. Stir in half the lime juice. Add mushrooms and bison/beef, breaking up the meat into small chunks. Once meat has browned, add in Thai basil, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and remaining lime juice.
Stir cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until starch is dissolved. Stir mixture into the meat and cook until sauce thickens. Add additional water if too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove lemongrass and bay leaf if applicable.
Serve on top of lettuce leaves with extra lime, basil, bean sprouts, and a squirt of hot sauce. White rice on the side is a great addition.
Filed under Meat, Recipe, Savory | Comment (1)