Ain't No Scurvy Here...

Now is the time when many of my meals take on an orange hue. In an effort to use up the over-abundance of oranges on our tree, I drink, eat, and cook with oranges for practically the entire winter. We should all have such troubles.


Menu:
Seared Scallops with Orange-Sesame Glaze
Orange-Scented Basmati Rice
Steamed Spinach


Seared Scallops with Orange-Sesame Glaze



Serves 2

2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c water
2 T maple syrup or honey
1/4 c orange juice
zest of 1/2 an orange, cut into strips
2 pieces star anise (optional)
1 coin of fresh ginger
1 dried chipotle pepper, or a pinch of ground chipotle
1/2 tsp Chinese sichuan peppercorns (optional)
1 1/2 pounds large scallops, patted dry with a paper towel
1/2 tsp canola oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Make the glaze: combine soy sauce through sichuan peppercorns, if using, in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes (do this while the rice is cooking). Turn up to a boil again and boil for 2-3 minutes or until reduced to a thick syrup. Do not allow to burn.
2. Heat half of the oil in a hot skillet. Arrange half of the scallops in the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear for 2 minutes, then flip and sear until just barely opaque, about 1 more minute. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining oil and scallops.
3. Drizzle the glaze over the scallops and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.


Orange-Scented Basmati Rice

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup basmati rice

1. Bring the broth and juice to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice and reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Fluff with a fork before serving.

The Great American Pastime

Game 3 of the World Series, and obviously, the dinner of choice is Cioppino!



No, just kidding, I really was just craving tomato-y seafood-y salty food tonight, so made a quick detour to Whole Foods on my way home from work to score some misto de mare. I pretty much just made this up as I went along, because basically cioppino is just mixed seafood braised in a tomato/garlic/wine broth. Easy peasy. This is usually served over or with pasta or garlic bread. We served it over steamed spinach.

Cioppino with Steamed Spinach
serves 2-3



1 tsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 T tomato paste
3 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 T parsley, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c dry red wine
1 6-oz can chopped clams with their broth
1/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb raw bay scallops
1 small tilapia filet, cubed
1 small calamari steak, sliced into thin strips
1/4 c fresh basil, julienned
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb baby spinach

Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic and red pepper in olive oil. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, wine, and clams and broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining seafood and simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Heat cooking spray in a large pan and had the spinach with a few spoonfuls of water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
4. Divide the spinach between shallow bowls and spoon the seafood and tomato sauce over the top. Shave parmesan cheese over each serving.

Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil

I'm back, again, for a brief spell, AGAIN. We're off to Texas next weekend for a wedding, which will bring our flying mileage for the summer to somewhere around 50 kerbillion combined. No more travel for this aero-phobe for at least a couple of months!

After a week of rich fare with my family in Chautauqua, NY (referred to variously as Brain Disneyland, Grandma Sleepaway Camp, or Kulture Kamp for Grown-Ups...), I was ready for some light, homemade food.

I'd been craving ceviche again, so I thought I'd try my hand at some new flavors. It was mighty tasty, if I do say so myself! I'm a fan of the scallop ceviche, and may not ever stray; I did add some poached shrimp this time just to add volume.

Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil



serves 2

4 oz bay scallops, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 oz raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 c fresh pineapple, diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 T red onion, minced
2 T fresh basil, minced

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil (enough to cover the shrimp). Add the shrimp and poach for 30 seconds, or until just pink. Immediately remove from the pan and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool, cut shrimp into 1-inch pieces
2. In a bowl, combine the shrimp and all remaining ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve cold.

When The Nate's Away...

...The Beck Will Play.

Solo dinner tonight, hence the following menu:

Creamy Garlicky Gazpacho with Crunchy Pecorino
Scallop and Plum Ceviche

Once again, Mark Bittman inspires with his brilliance. I never would have thought ceviche could be a dish I would try at home, but I saw this recipe whilst perusing The Times last night and could not wait to have a go at it. Hopefully eating raw scallops won't come back to haunt me tomorrow...

The ceviche was so easy and so tasty, I will definitely look for more ways to prepare this at home. I loved the scallops, but I have also had really tasty fish ceviche at restaurants (namely Hula's Modern Tiki's amazing version with lime and coconut), and look forward to trying a recipe myself.

The gazpacho was in the same feature article that day, and it looked so pretty that I couldn't not make it. It seemed the perfect accompaniment to the ceviche (in a "Nate would never eat this so I should make it while I'm eating alone" kind of way...I don't claim to be any sort of talent at food pairing). While mine came out decidedly pinker than the deep orange in the picture, it was still very good. I guess I should have expected pink when I mixed red and white...A word of warning, though: it is VERY garlicky (and this coming from a garlic-blooded garlic-lover!). Next time I might use roasted garlic or blanch it first to cut down on the garlicky bite.


Creamy Garlicky Gazpacho with Crunchy Pecorino
by Melissa Clark, originally published in the New York Times 7/9/10



serves 4, about 3/4c per serving

6 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano (I used I T shredded cheddar per serving)
2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) plain sheep’s-milk or regular yogurt (I used nonfat Greek)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for serving (I omitted this)
12 basil leaves, roughly chopped, more for serving
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 scallions (white and light green parts), roughly chopped
2 ice cubes (I forgot this, it wasn't necessary)
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, more to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper to taste.

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the cheese until browned on one side. Carefully flip in one piece and brown on the other side. Remove to a paper towel and allow to cool until crispy. Break into 4 pieces.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

3. Divide gazpacho into 4 bowls and garnish with basil leaves and cheese crisps.




Scallop and Plum Ceviche
by Mark Bittman, originally published in The New York Times 7/9/10



serves 2-4

1 pound bay scallops, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 plums, pitted and cut into 1/2" dice
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
salt to taste
pinch cayenne pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. The scallops will "cook" in the lime juice.

2. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.