Anniversary Dinner

For our three-year anniversary I decided to make a nice dinner at home, combining rustic and elegant for the perfect celebratory meal. With fall upon us in New England, I went for fresh and local: seared sea scallops with roasted butternut squash, leeks and crispy pancetta.  Here's how I did it:

First, I picked up some Tuscan bread from our neighborhood Clear Flour Bakery. I served it with a couple of options to dip/top the crusty bread with - white bean spread (I pureed cannelini beans with good olive oil, salt, pepper, and mixed in rosemary and red pepper flakes), and tomato "jam" (I roasted cherry tomatoes in the oven with olive oil and salt until wrinkly sweet, mashing them a bit in a bowl to release their juices and topping with a sprinkle of parmesan), and of course good oil.


Next I made dinner:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice and rinse a leek, spreading about half the pieces on a baking pan. Lay peeled and cubed butternut squash on the pan, tossing with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper, and drizzling with good maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Bake the squash and leeks until caramelized (with golden brown edges.)
2) Crisp minced pancetta in a pan with about 1 tbsp. olive oil until frothy. Remove the pancetta from the pan and lay on a paper towel to drain the fat.
3) Put the remaining leek pieces into the pan - yes, cooking them in pancetta grease, but only on a special occasion would I do this - and sautee until soft and the white parts translucent. (Add a tbsp. of butter if you're feeling really decadent.) Remove the leaks.
4) Increase the heat and saute the sea scallops in the pan, grating a hint of sea salt so that it forms a golden crust. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine (I used the Pinot Grigio we were drinking with dinner) to loosen up those little bits of pancetta flavor, and cook a few minutes on each side so the scallop edges are just about crusty.
5) Lower the heat and add the pieces of squash to the pan, putting the leeks and pancetta back in, so all the flavors come together. Serve and enjoy!

Quinoa Two More Ways

A while ago I posted two recipes for quinoa: pesto quinoa with spinach and grape tomatoes and Indian-spiced quinoa with tofu and dried cherries - http://princess-peach-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/quinoa-two-ways.html

Needless to say, I really love quinoa. Here are two more ways to serve this great protein:

Orange-scented Quinoa Topped with Seared Sea Scallops

1) Cook 1 cup quinoa and sear sea scallops in a pan with olive oil and butter (or preferred vegan substitute.) Season scallops with granted pink fleur de sel to develop a nice golden-brown crust on them.
2) Mix cooked quinoa with a dressing of the fresh orange juice and zest of two oranges, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in a handful of garbanzo beans and chopped fresh parsley. Let the warm quinoa absorb the dressing.
3) Top the warm quinoa with the sea scallops and serve!

Ginger-Lime Quinoa with Grilled Shrimp

1) While 1 cup quinoa cooks, grill at least a dozen shrimp seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced fresh ginger. (Add red pepper flakes for heat if desired.)
2) Mix into cooked quinoa the juice and zest of two limes with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and a pinch of yellow curry, stirring to coat the quinoa evenly.
3) Pour grilled shrimp, along with the juices and ginger, into the quinoa, tossing to disperse. Scrape any pan drippings into the quinoa - that's all the best flavor. Chop about half a cucumber or so into small dice and mix cucumbers into the quinoa and shrimp dish. Serve warm.
*Note: the quinoa is also good at room temperature or even cold, so it makes for great leftovers.

Scallops Two Ways

I decided to do some culinary experimentation and present a food face-off - secret ingredient: scallops. Here's what I came up with:

1.) Seared sea scallops with sauteed chanterelle and baby porcini mushrooms with a roasted red pepper coulis, served over mixed greens:


How to do it: Lightly salt and marinate scallops in good olive oil and minced garlic and shallots to taste, at least 30 min. in a ziploc bag in the fridge before cooking. Slice and saute mushrooms, with red pepper roasting in the broiler. Remove mushrooms from heat and take the red pepper out of the oven to cool, dice and mix into mushrooms. Add fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Sear the scallops on high heat in the marinade oil until golden brown on each side, serving with mushrooms and sprig of fresh parsley on top.


2.) "South of the border" scallops in chili spice rub with tequila lime butter and pepper rings garnish:


How to do it: mix spices in a shallow bowl to create the spice rub - I used equal parts chili powder, cayenne, cumin and a dash of hot paprika for a spicy mixture - and coat scallops evenly with spice rub. Chill scallops, and create the tequila lime butter by pouring dash of tequila (I used Jose Cuervo gold) over about 1-2 tablespoons of butter with the juice of half a lime and grated lime zest to taste. Sear scallops on high heat - the spices will create a crusty blackened edge - and flip to other side, pouring tequila lime butter over top. *Be mindful to stand back from the hot pan when pouring alcohol in it!* Plate the scallops with thinly-sliced pepper rings (I used banana peppers but other varieties will do) and lime wedges with a spring of fresh cilantro.

Taste test these recipes and choose your favorite!

Scallop dinner

Lime and chili-crusted sea scallops sauteed with bell peppers, served over greens and jasmine rice.