Grilled scallops and nectarines: An unexpected combo

Today was perfect grilling weather, and I had a taste for a dish I made for the first time last summer: grilled scallops and nectarines with corn and tomato salad. I know it sounds strange, but the combination of the different textures and sweet and salty flavors just works. Beautifully.

Not bad for a Tuesday night, if I do say so.

Grilled scallops and nectarines with corn and tomato salad

Grilled scallops and nectarines with corn and tomato salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel or ground sea salt

Pesto:
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salad:
24 large sea scallops, side muscles removed, patted dry
3 firm but ripe nectarines, each cut into 6 wedges
Olive oil, for brushing
Corn kernels cut from 2 large ears of grilled corn
24 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
Fleur de sel or ground sea salt

PREPARATION

For dressing:
Whisk lime juice, lime zest, and chili powder in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper.

For pesto:
In a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in Parmesan.

For salad:
Heat grill to medium-high and spray or brush with oil. Brush scallops and nectarines with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill nectarines until slightly charred, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Grill scallops until slightly charred and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer nectarines and scallops to plate.

Arrange four scallops at the center of each plate and arrange nectarine wedges decoratively around them. Add corn, tomatoes and basil to dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon salad around the scallops, then drizzle some of the pesto over the top. Enjoy! 

 

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A perfect light summer meal: grilled shrimp, green rice & guacamole salad

One night last week, my plan was to use up some ingredients I had on hand to make goat cheese, spinach, and sundried tomato-stuffed pork chops with lemon quinoa. But since it turned out to be 79 degrees and sunny — and the pork chop recipe required turning on the oven — I aborted mission.

Plan B: Grilled shrimp, green rice, and guacamole salad, one of my favorite light summer meals.

Grilled shrimp, green rice & guacamole salad

Grilled shrimp

Servings: 2

14-16 medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and thread onto two metal skewers. Cook shrimp 2-3 minutes on each side or until pink in the center.

Green rice

Servings: 4 (I usually make the full recipe, knowing we’ll have leftovers)

2 cups chicken stock
2 poblano peppers, roughly diced
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup long-grain rice (basmati works well)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
3 or 4 chives, chopped

In a blender, combine chicken stock, poblano peppers, cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add rice and garlic and stir for another minute or two. Add chile puree, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with scallions, and serve.

Guacamole salad
Adapted from 2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home

Servings: 2-3

1/2 pint mixed grape tomatoes (red, orange and yellow), halved
1/2 yellow or red pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled, and diced

Whisk together the lime juice, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Combine the rest of the ingredients, and pour the vinaigrette over the top. Toss well to combine.

Since Drew had to get back to studying for finals, we skipped the cold beer that usually accompanies this meal , but it was still a satisfying ending to a gorgeous early-summer weekend.

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First-ever shrimp and grits

Being a food lover, it’s embarrassing to admit that the first time I ever tried grits was a few months ago when Drew and I got brunch at Wishbone, a Southern restaurant we like that has a few locations in Chicago. In my defense, I am a Northerner. But still.

Black bean benedict and cheesy grits at Wishbone

I liked what I tasted, so when I came across a recipe for lemon-garlic shrimp and grits, a lighter version of the traditional comfort-food dish, I decided to try it, with some tweaks.

Lemon-garlic shrimp and grits

Lemon-garlic shrimp & grits
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Servings: 4

3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup instant grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
2 large cloves garlic, minced
A few pinches of cayenne pepper (we like it hot)
3 tablespoons dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Bring chicken or vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons white wine, the lemon juice and parsley; remove from the heat, and stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Despite how quicky and easy this recipe was to make, it was surprisingly flavorful and satisfying, with the lemon really brightening up the other ingredients. What’s really great is that if you keep some grits and frozen shrimp on hand, you can whip this up on short notice in less than a half-hour.

Since the dish was so light, next time I would serve it with a salad or side dish. And, having read the reviews after the fact, I now know that instant grits are a no-no for anyone from the South. Hey, I’m a Northerner, but I’m learning.

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Two meat meccas team up

Earlier this spring, Noble Square butcher shop The Butcher & Larder and Avondale heavy-metal burger shrine Kuma’s Corner joined forces for the greater good: to reimagine burgers from Kuma’s menu into glorious sausage form.

Yesterday, on our way home from the race, we stopped at The Butcher & Larder for some Mastodon links to grill later. Kuma’s Mastodon burger, with BBQ sauce, cheddar, bacon and frizzled onions, is one of my favorites, so we had to try the sausage version: pork, BBQ beef, bacon, cheddar and onion. When got there a few minutes after they opened at 10 a.m., there were already a dozen people in line, so we weren’t surprised when @ButcherLarder later tweeted that it had sold out of 45 pounds of Mastodon links in 45 minutes. We also picked up a couple of Old-Style-tall-boy brats.

We topped the sausages and brats with some grilled onions (and coarse-ground mustard for the brats), and dug in. If you don’t go into it expecting the Mastodon links to taste exactly like the burger, you can appreciate the distinct, familiar flavors and enjoy it for what it is: a juicy, delectable sausage.

Drew and his friend Ryan are Kuma’s fanatics and have made it through the entire menu, and I haven’t done too badly myself. Sadly, we’ve already missed a few of the special sausages, so a similar feat isn’t in the cards — but we’re happy to get them when we can.

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Carb-loading, before and after

Drew ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile again this morning, and I needed to redeem myself.

The back story: When he ran it for the first time last year, my parents met me there to watch him (and, seeing as the whole ordeal takes about three hours, to keep me company). During the final stretch of the race, the runners come through the tunnel onto Soldier Field and finish at the 50-yard line, where the spectators are waiting — pretty cool. Drew gave me his estimated finish time (8:18 a.m.), and we agreed to meet afterward at the flagpoles in front of the stadium. As the time neared, my mom had her camera set on the field, and I had mine set on the JumboTron that showed the runners crossing the finish line.

In a show of perfect timing, the JumboTron froze about four minutes before Drew’s estimated finish. We all tried to keep our eyes on the field, but by then there were groups of runners coming in at the same time. We didn’t see him… and eventually, we started to worry. Did he sprain an ankle? Get sick? (My brother had gotten heat exhaustion in Mile 22 of the Chicago Marathon the fall before, so in our defense, we had reason.) We kept waiting, and waiting, not wanting to miss him, and I developed a horrible crink in my neck from staring up at the screen once it finally went back on. Finally, we decided to head to the flagpole.

There was Drew, relieved to see us but clearly annoyed. “Did you really think I was that slow?” he said. He had finished at 8:16 a.m. and had been waiting for us for 45 minutes. Oops.

Believe me when I say that I will never live this down. In the past year alone, Drew has told the story to at least a dozen people and made countless other one-off jabs. It all turned out fine; we were able to buy an overpriced official photo of him coming through the tunnel that was far better than any I could have taken from the stands. But this year, even if I couldn’t get a good photo, I at least wanted to see him cross the finish line — especially after waiting around for three hours.

My parents were on vacation and we didn’t know anyone else who was running, so I was on my own. Drew estimated an 8:15 a.m. finish this time, so, after waiting in the covered seats to stay warm and dry, I headed down toward the field at around 8 a.m. to get as close as I could. Again, the timing was perfect: As soon as I went to get the camera ready (I figured I might as well try), the battery died on me. At that point, all I could do was laugh. After a few false alarms, I finally picked Drew out of the crowd and saw him cross the finish line. I was hoping for the high-stepping he did last year, but this time he had already put everything he had into it: Despite the strong winds on the loop back, he beat his previous time by about two minutes, averaging a 7:26 mile.

I attribute his good showing to the carb-tastic meal I made for him last night, at his request (that’s correct — instead of grilling on Memorial Day weekend, we had a winter comfort-food classic).

Before: Easy Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan
Servings: 2

1 egg white
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (with freshly chopped parsley, if desired)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz. spaghetti or fettuccine
1 cup pasta sauce
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, shredded
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, julienned

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set up two shallow bowls. In one, beat egg until slightly frothy; in second, mix breadcrumbs and 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan. Dip chicken breasts in egg whites and then in breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on sheet and bake for 12 minutes, then flip over and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella and the rest of the Parmesan over the chicken, and bake 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted and chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

While chicken is baking, prepare pasta according to its package instructions, and warm the pasta sauce in a small saucepan. Divide pasta between two plates and top with chicken, sauce, basil and any remaining cheese.

The Chicken Parm was a great pre-game meal, but Drew’s post-race request was to go to Twisted Spoke (501 N. Ogden), one of our favorite breakfast places and home of the world’s best fried-egg sandwich: two runny, over-easy eggs, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo on soft pumpernickel bread. In other words, perfection on a plate. The only thing that could make it better? A spicy Bloody Mary with a garnish of salami, olive, pepperocini, cocktail onion and Parmesan — basically a meal in itself.

Bloody Mary meal at Twisted Spoke

Fried-egg sandwich at Twisted Spoke

It was a great way to celebrate, but I’m clearly going to have to start running more than my three measly miles to keep up.

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Spring picnic

When Drew and I lived on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, we made a point of doing a picnic in Central Park several times each summer. I loved those nights. I always brought crackers and a baguette, cut up cheese and salami, made my favorite blueberry-chicken salad that wasn’t quite right for any occasion other than a picnic — and, of course, packed plenty of wine. At some point, at our neighborhood wine shop, we had stumbled upon Bandit, wine packaged in sustainable Tetra Pak cartons (a.k.a. juice boxes for adults); it became our picnic staple.

Enjoying a juice box for grown-ups at North Avenue Beach

We had our routine: Pack up the cooler, utensils and blanket, walk three Avenue blocks east and a few Street blocks north, and settle into our spot: Turtle Pond, with its perfect view of the Great Lawn, Belvidere Castle, and plenty of ducks swooping through the water, which made Drew really happy. One night, when we lingered a bit too long into dusk, we also got views of rats running through the tall grass near the pond, scavenging for picnic scraps — a reminder that we were indeed in New York, and that it was our cue to head home. But that’s another story, and I try not to let it taint my otherwise idyllic memories.

When we moved back to Chicago, we were busy with new jobs, wedding plans, and other life changes, and it seemed like the lake was just far enough away to discourage impromptu outings. But we’ve since realized how easy it is to hop on the #72 bus and head a few miles east, and, happily, the picnics have resumed.

We made it to the lake for a picnic only once last summer, but we’re already on track for a stronger showing this year; since Saturday was such an unseasonably warm spring day, and Drew admitted he wasn’t going to get much homework done, he suggested a picnic on the grassy area near North Avenue Beach — a straight shot from WP. I brought all of my usual fare, but I also wanted to try something new. After combining several different recipes I found online and making some adjustments, I came up with this colorful salad.

Mediterranean harvest-grain salad

Here’s the recipe:

Mediterranean Harvest-Grain Salad

Salad:
1 cup Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend (Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa), or your grain or choice, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 hothouse cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped and soaked in cold water to take out the bite
1/2 pint multi-colored cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 red or yellow pepper, chopped
Handful of Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup feta, cubed
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette:*
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Squirt of honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

*I like tangy dressings and usually use less oil than is recommended in order to cut down on fat, but go with the ratio that works for you.

Combine all salad ingredients and toss with vinaigrette. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve later (like, at a picnic) at room temperature.

Drew and I devoured this quicker than the blueberry-chicken salad, a sure sign that it needs to go in the regular rotation. The best thing about it is its versatility; I tried to go for a Mediterranean theme here, but you can throw in whatever vegetables, herbs and cheese you have on hand.

Hey, we may not have a castle or ducks in Turtle Pond, but we have a beautiful lake, and French bread, and cheese and salami, and our delicious new salad. And Bandit.

Sweet home, Chicago.

Credits:
For the Love of Cooking
A Step into My Kitchen

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More soggy dough

Ratatouille tart with caramelized-onion jam, squash, eggplant, tomatotes, roasted red pepper and goat cheese

Not long after our smoke-detector dinner party, during which the crust for our first homemade pizza came out a bit soggy due to the moisture from the crushed tomatoes, I attempted to make a Kelsey Nixon recipe for a ratatouille tart. Like the pizza, it turned out soggy — and, like the pizza, the sogginess was probably more a result of the toppings than the dough.

In my defense, the recipe’s instructions left me with more than twice as many ingredients as are needed to make one tart. So, instead of listening to my intuition that the quantities were off, I loaded up the puff pastry with as many ingredients as I could (and still had enough leftover to make a second tart). At first I thought I had rolled the dough too thin, but it was clear that the caramelized-onion jam and veggies were just too heavy for the dough.

The recipe was good enough to try again — especially since I already have the jam made and the ingredients prepped. This time, I’m just hoping the “less is more” mantra holds true.

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Smoke-detector dinner party

Homemade pizza with red onion, brussels sprouts, oregano and fresh mozzarella

Drew and I recently had another couple over for dinner, and I wanted to keep it simple. For once.

Usually — despite the embarrassing number of hours I spend watching cooking shows — I find myself at a loss when it comes to actually putting together a menu for company. And, inevitably, I end up overcomplicating things and stressing myself out. It’s gotten to the point where Drew prefers just going out.

But the thing is, I enjoy hosting. Really, I do. Okay, maybe not the trips to three different grocery stores or the frantic, last-minute cleaning — but the satisfaction that comes from opening my home to friends and family and laughing over good food and wine. Nevertheless, this time I was determined to take Drew’s advice, and after doing a dry run with a Bon Appétit recipe for no-knead dough, I thought that make-your-own pizza night would be the perfect low-stress, fun and casual solution.

It was fun and casual, alright — but not exactly low-stress. Because you want your guests to have a variety of toppings for their pizza, you have to prep more ingredients than you would if you were you making one prepared main course. I went with caramelized onions, red onions, shaved brussels sprouts (mandoline required), green peppers, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, basil, rendered bacon, Italian sausage, ground sea salt, mozzarella and Parmesan. I also made my own dough, which is easy but a little time-consuming. And then there were the other courses. For appetizers, I put out mixed olives and feta, brie and crackers, and cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in proscuitto (a hit — thanks, Giada). For a side, I did a mixed green salad with Parmesan crisps. And for dessert, pannacotta with raspberries and blackberries. No matter how simple you try to keep each individual item, the work adds up.

Making the pizzas together was fun and provided some entertainment for the night. Joe, who’s Italian and the only one of us who had actually made pizza before, rolled the dough, and the rest of us added the toppings. Our first effort, a sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper pie, came out a bit soggy because of too much sauce — and set off the smoke detector. Our smoke detector is sensitive to begin with, and the 500-degree temperature required to bake the pizzas didn’t help matters. We opened the windows and turned on the fans, and Drew ran to get the broom to try to circulate some air. Classy.

Fortunately, these were close friends, and the fiasco only made for good stories later. Also fortunately, we made some adjustments after that first attempt, and the rest of the pizzas were quite good, if I do say so. (The fire detector went off only one more time…)

Was it a low-maintenance meal? Not by a long shot. But it was one filled with good friends and lots of laughs — exactly what I was going for.

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Another one of Drew’s Cholula masterpieces

This one, to celebrate the new year, is remarkably legible…

Bringing in 2012 with style

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An inaccurate-but-still-pretty-awesome imitation

A few Saturdays ago, Drew and I had some errands to run on Division St., and also happened to be desperately hungry… and a little hungover. It was the perfect occasion for brunch at Milk and Honey Café, which we had been meaning to try for ages.

Seeing as it was bitter cold outside, and we were, you know, a little hungover, we decided to drive — and were of course punished by the parking gods for our laziness. After doing a loop around some side streets south of Division, Drew dropped me off to put our name in for a table.

The deal at Milk and Honey, however, is that you place your order at the register and display your number on your table… or, if there are no available tables, place your order and then wait, with your number, for one to open up. A big group walked in behind me, and since I didn’t know how long it would take for Drew to find parking, I didn’t want to wait just to get a number.

Luckily, I knew immediately, without hesitation, what to order for Drew.

I saw it before I knew what it was: a round, white casserole dish steaming with melted cheese, being carried out on trays to what seemed like every table in the place. Some tables were splitting one, others had multiple orders. (I knew this because I was unabashedly gaping.) My first thought was mac ‘n cheese, but a quick glance at the menu on the wall revealed the mystery dish as the huevos rancheros, “casserole-style” — in other words, Drew’s ultimate breakfast.

Knowing that the portion was huge and that I planned to help myself to some, I ordered the house-made granola with vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit for myself.

Both were excellent decisions. When Drew finally walked in after driving around for 15 minutes trying to find a spot, he agreed that he definitely would have ordered the huevos rancheros had he been there to speak for himself. When he tried it, he was even more complimentary of my impulsive decision-making.

Underneath the blanket of cheese was pure goodness: scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, green chiles, and tortilla strips, which are normally an integral part of hueveos rancheros but in this case were almost superfluous because of all the other great flavors going on. My only complaint was that the cheese wasn’t as gooey as I would’ve liked — a little tough to break into. 

The granola was equally delicious, in a totally different way, of course: buttery, and flavorful, and thick with dried fruit and fresh apples. It put my dry, sugary, generic Quaker Oats granola to shame. I vowed to buy only Milk and Honey’s to-go bags of granola from now on… as soon I finally used up my ginormous bag of Quaker from Costco.   

But back to the huevos rancheros. It left such an impression that I have since been determined to replicate it. After Googling huevos rancheros casserole recipes, I determined that Milk and Honey’s description was indeed accurate: Their dish was casserole-style, but not an actual casserole where the beaten eggs are baked in the oven.

So when Drew and I experimented this weekend, we scrambled the eggs and, when they were almost formed, stirred in some black beans and several spoonfuls of Pace’s hot picante salsa (next time I want to make my own picante). We also crisped up a tortilla by frying it in some cooking spray on the stove, sliced it into strips, and added the strips to the eggs at the last minute. We divided the mixture into two Pyrex dishes (smaller than Milk and Honey’s, but still healthy individual-sized portions), topped them with pre-shredded cheddar cheese (next time I want to use a mix of good jack and cheddar, and shred it myself), and stuck them in the oven at 325 degrees for 8 or 9 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt.       

Our version of Milk and Honey's "casserole-style" huevos rancheros

While our shot-in-the-dark attempt was hardly a replication of the original, it was, in Drew’s words, “pretty awesome”… and might just tide us over until the next time we’re in desperate need of a comforting, satisfying weekend brunch cooked by someone else. Next time, we’ll just be sure to walk.



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