Seared Scallops with Tarragon-Butter Sauce

Got this off of Epicurious. Very good!

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Directions

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to low and add 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.

Spiced Rice

Good stuff! Flagrant and tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup white basmati rice
1/2 cups reduce-sodium chicken broth
half of one (3") cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves

Directions

We pretty much followed the cooking instructions on the rice. Rinse with water. Put all of the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer following instructions from the rice vendor.

Tasty stuff!

BBQ.....

We had a delicious BBQ this weekend.  I'll post the recipes when I get a chance.  Essentially, pork ribs with a dry rub and homemade sauce; mustard slaw, german hot potato salad.

Portobellos with Arugula

Another delicious recipe from Epicurious:    Portobellos with Arugula

Ingredients

6 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
Generous 4 cups trimmed arugula, washed and spun dry
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A 4-ounce chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano for shaving

Directions

Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.

Place the portobellos on the grill and cook, turning two or three times, until slightly soft-ended, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter, arranging the mushrooms grill side up.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the anchovy paste, vinegar, and thyme. Spoon the mixture evenly over the portobellos and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with coarse sea salt and pepper.

Divide the arugula among six plates and top each with a mushroom. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmigiano over the salads. Serve immediately.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

I like pizza.  Lots of pizza.  Lots of different kind of pizza.

This recipe Deedy and I made up after having something similar at a Pizza place.

Ingredients

1 Bobalee (sp?) pizza crust, or even better, a homemade pizza dough of your choice. We sometimes make an herb pizza dough or wheat pizza dough
6-8 cloves garlic chopped
Ranch Dressing
2 chicken breasts
Sun dried tomatoes or 3-4 roma tomatoes, seeded a chopped.
Fresh basil
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil

Options:

Sliced mushrooms
Broccoli trimmed

Directions

Saute garlic in olive oil for about 15 seconds. Just until they start to change color.

Either bake or pan cook the chicken breast about 15 minutes at 350. I usually undercook it a bit since it will be cooking on the pizza. Once the chicken is done, cut it into small strips.

Spread the Ranch Dressing on the pizza dough, don't make it too thick. A nice thin layer spread evenly across the dough. Spread the chicken over the ranch dressing. Spread the chopped garlic, tomatoes over the pizza then top with mozzarella cheese. I don't put too much cheese on, and sometimes I don't put any on.

Bake the pizza at 350 for 20 minutes. When the pizza is done, top it with the fresh basil.

Slice and enjoy.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Garlic with Swiss Chard

I made this recipe this past weekend and it turned out to be really good.  I got the recipe from one of my Bon Apetit books and it's also on line at Epicurious

one of my favorite cooking web-sites.

I'm not a big fan of garbanzo beans, although I will eat them.  If you're not a fan of roasted garlic, don't try this as the flavor is quite prevalent.  For me....I loved it.

Ingredients

Garbanzo Beans:
2 15.5-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (about 3 cups)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large shallots
3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Chard:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
2 shallots, sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, center stems cut out, leaves coarsely torn
2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Directions

Garbanzo beans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour oil over; cover dish with foil. Roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.

Chard:
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bay leaves, and shallots. Cover; cook until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover; add half of chard. Toss until chard wilts and volume is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add remaining chard. Toss until chard wilts, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season chard with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large sieve set over bowl and drain. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Drain garbanzos and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine garbanzos and chard in large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons oil reserved from garbanzos. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, moistening with more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Viennese Soup Pot

Deedy and I had this soup, Viennese Soup Pot, while we were in Vienna. It's really good and similar to Chicken Noodle Soup.

Here's a recipe on it, although I won't be frying the chicken: Chicken Soup Pot