Seared Scallops with Fava Beans

Filed under Food + Drink Reviews, Shellfish, Vegetables + Salads

I’ve shelled fava beans before and I can’t say it’s my favorite thing to do in the kitchen, but I love them so much in salads that whenever the summer season starts, I always buy a few handfuls of them from Fairway or from any farmer stand outside of the city. If shelling raw, you have to do it twice: one from the pod and two from the casing. If you have access to a grill, it’s easier to grill them first and the beans come out of their casings much easier. I realize it’s not the season for fava beans anymore, but hey, bookmark this recipe for next!

To sear the scallops, I used my new 10-inch skillet from Bonjour. I never owned a skillet without Teflon on the surface and I’ve survived this long in the kitchen, but now I know why it’s so much better for delicate food items like scallops and hardy meats like a beef steak: the skillet gets so much hotter faster and you get that satisfaction that your food is getting thoroughly cooked without overdoing it. The bonus part is that, since there is no rubberized handle or nonstick surface, you can finish cooking in the oven without having to turn the seafood or the meat.

Ingredients:
a few pieces of fresh scallops, dried with a paper towel
a handful of fava beans, shelled
1 bunch of young purple carrots, chopped
oil, salt, pepper

1. Using a large skillet, heat some oil until almost smoking. Sear scallops for no less than 5 minutes. They will not stick to the pan if your scallops are dry and if your skillet was hot enough. Gently turn them over with a spatula to cook the other side for another 3 minutes. Remove to a plate.
2. Keep the remaining oil in the skillet and add a little bit more and reheat. Toss fava beans and purple carrots. Sauté in high heat for several minutes until the fava beans are semi-soft. If you bought them from the farmers’ market, a little rawness won’t kill you.
3. Assemble to a plate and serve with seared scallops.

Related post/s:
Scallops are even better wrapped in bacon
Time to upgrade your skillets to Bonjour

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Beet and Watercress Salad in Juniper Vinaigrette

Filed under Vegetables + Salads

I know my pantry is well-stocked, but it still surprises me sometimes when I find an ingredient that I’ve forgotten about and it turns out it would work with whatever I’m making. For this salad, from Los Angeles’ Street Restaurant, I needed juniper berries to make the dressing and I was surprised to see a small jar of it from the time I pickled a pig’s head. Really.

I’ve used them ever since for my pickles, but I never thought of them as part of a salad dressing. As soon as I smelled the aroma while crushing them, everything came together. How come I’ve never made a juniper vinaigrette before? I needed an apple and I found half an uneaten apple wrapped in Saran in the fridge. Walnuts? Leftovers, too. If you have raisins around, toss those in, too.

I don’t expect you to roast one beet for this salad, of course. Use your time wisely and roast a bunch of beets so that they’re ready for the week. I simply stored them in the fridge and made the salad two more times. One bunch of watercress served two people. For more dressing, just double up and refrigerate the leftover for up to a week.

Ingredients:
1 large golden beet, washed, dried with paper towel
1 bunch of watercress, thoroughly washed, dried with paper towel
half an apple, chopped
a handful of walnuts, toasted, crushed

For the juniper vinaigrette:
1 tsp juniper berries, crushed using a mortar and pestle
lime juice
oil, salt, pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Wrap the beet in aluminum foil and place on a roasting pan and roast for about 1 hour or until tender. When cool, peel and cut them into 1-inch chunks.
2. While the beets are roasting, make the vinaigrette: put all the ingredients in a glass jar with a screw top and shake to mix.
3. Assemble the salad by tossing the beets with the watercress and apple in a salad bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and dust with the walnut pieces.

Related post/s:
I really pickled a pig’s head, see?

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