Sautéed scallops with crispy pancetta and pea & mint puree

So this week I found some beautiful scallops at the store.  I just couldn't resist them.  I've made this dish before and I just love the combination of sweet scallops, salty pancetta or bacon and fresh minty peas.  Now I would never tell you to not buy fresh peas however I don't know anyone who has the time to shuck fresh peas and the frozen ones are just as yummy.  The pancetta can easily be substituted for bacon, in fact the last time I made this I used bacon and I loved it that way too!  I've made this as both an appetizer and a main course.  For an appetizer I would use 2-3 scallops per person and as a main I would use 5 scallops per person.  Scallops cook very fast so make sure you have all the other components ready before you start cooking them.  The pancetta pieces were fairly small so I used one per scallop.  With bacon I would cut it in half.

Scallops and pancetta

scallops
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
pancetta or bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place pancetta or bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in oven until crispy, about 10 minutes.  Check it every now and then as it can burn quickly.

Heat a skillet over medium-medium high heat with olive oil.  Lay scallops out on a paper towels and dry them really well, season with salt and pepper.  Once pan is really hot, almost smoking, place the scallops in the pan.  Once they are in the pan do not move them, this lets them get the browned crust.  If you move them around they will still cook but they will not get browned.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.

Scallops are also great on the grill or under the broiler!

Pea and mint puree

1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen peas
1 tbs fresh mint

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Chop onion and add to the pan.  Cook until they begin to soften(5 min).  Chop garlic and add to the pan.  Cook for another 2 min.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the peas.  Cook until tender but still nice and green 5-7 min.  Put the pea mixture in the blender reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid.  Add the mint and blend until nice and smooth.  Be careful as the mix is hot and hot stuff tries to jump out of blenders sometimes.  If the mix is too thick add a little more of the broth and blend again.  You can put this back in the pan to keep warm while you cook the scallops.

It's all Greek to me!



Souvlaki with tzatziki and pita

 So this week I made souvlaki with tzatziki sauce and homemade pita bread.  Souvlaki, for those of you who have never had it, is basically marinated meat grilled on a stick.  What is not to love about that!  I use pork tenderloin in my recipe but I noticed other recipes sometimes use pork with a little more fat like the shoulder.  Tenderloins usually comes two to a pack so I always have one in the freezer.  Tzatziki is a yogurt sauce with cucumber and garlic.  Most supermarkets have a great selection of pita bread to choose from, but I was on  a bread making kick these last weeks.  I had never made pita bread before and I was surprised by how easy it was.  I was like a little kid peeking in the oven so see if the bread had puffed!  It was very exciting.  Even if you don't try making your own pita I highly recommend this souvlaki recipe it was delicious!  It would also be great with rice or couscous. 

Souvlaki
Pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs fresh oregano or 1 tbs dried
2 garlic cloves
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
wooden skewers

Mix, oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and salt&pepper.  Add meat and onion.  Mix well, cover and marinate for at least 8 hours.  Give it a stir every couple of hours.  Now the lemon juice will change the pink pork to a pale whitish color.  Don't worry, It's going to taste amazing.  Preheat your BBQ or grill pan to medium heat.  Skewer the meat.  I also skewer the onions by themselves.  Grill 4-6 minutes a side.  Serve with pita and veggies.  I like mine with shredded lettuce and cabbage, sliced cucumber and tomato.




mix pork with marinade



after 8 hours marinating



  



grilling the skewers



Tzatziki sauce

I have always found greek yogurt a little to tangy for my liking, but plain yogurt is very thin.  Here is what I do.  Take a smallish strainer and line it with paper towels.  Place your plain yogurt in and cover.  Refrigerate overnight.  A ton of liquid will come out and you now have nice thick yogurt.  Tzatziki can be made in a food processor for more of a smoother sauce or just mixed by hand for more of a chunkier sauce.  I used the food processor this time.

8 oz of yogurt ( greek or plain strained)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 of a cucumber peeled, seeded, and chopped

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp dill ( if fresh use 1 1/2 tsp)

salt & pepper

For smooth sauce: Put all ingredients in food processor or blender, and mix until desired consistency.

For chunkier sauce:  Finely chop cucumber, mince or grate garlic.  Mix yogurt with lemon juice, olive oil, dill, salt&pepper.  Stir in cucumber and garlic.  Taste for seasoning.  Cover and refrigerate.  The longer this sauce sits, the more the flavors blend.



Tzatziki sauce



Pita Bread

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs sugar or honey

2 tsp or  packet yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbs olive oil

Mix yeast flour sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cups warm water.  Stir until a ball begins to form.  If it is too dry add more water until a ball forms.  Knead on a floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky (8-10 min).  Place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size ( 1 hour).  Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces.  Roll them into balls, cover and let rest 20 minutes.  Preheat oven and stone or baking sheet to 450 degrees.  Once oven is hot, roll each piece out as thin as possible.  Your looking for 1/8 of an inch thick.  Place on hot stone or baking sheet, bake for 3 minutes then flip over for another 2 minutes.  They should puff up and turn brown.  Place pita in basket or serving dish and cover with a towel until they are all baked.  Enjoy!



kneaded dough



doubled in size





rising beautifully



warm pita

If anyone tries any of these recipes, I would love to hear how it turns out!

Mamma Mia!

                                           Asparagus and ham pizza

Pizza is my favorite food group.  I think it should be eaten at least once a week.  My mom tried this white sauce this week and said it was delicious so I decided to give it a try.  Of course I like green things on my pizza like spinach and broccoli but you can really put anything you want.   When it comes to dough there are a lot of options these days.  You can buy ready made crusts or dough, get dough from your favorite pizza place or make your own dough.  I am a fan of all three.  I had the time this week so I made dough.  I made four little pizzas with this dough recipe but you could also make two medium or one large pizza.  If you have never made pizza at home you should really give it a try.  It is just the best pizza! 

                                          Broccoli and ricotta

Pizza dough:
2 tsp or 1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil

Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and let sit until foamy (5-10 min).  Mix flour with salt and make a well in the center.  Add olive oil and yeast.  Mix until dough forms.  Knead on floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky (8-10 min).  Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (1 hour). Split into desired number of crusts.  Roll or stretch into desired shape and top with your favorite things!

                                           Tomato and basil

White garlic sauce:
5-7 cloves garlic
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk*
salt and pepper

Melt butter with olive oil.  Mince or crush garlic and add to oil.  Cook for only 1-2 minutes then add the flour.  Cook flour for 1-2 minutes then slowly add the milk, stir all the time.  Stir until thickened then cool before putting on the pizza.  Put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the sauce so a skin does not form as it cools.

* I find that whole or 2% milk just makes a richer, smoother sauce.  This can be made with skim milk or even a combo of skim and half&half. 

                                           Spinach and ricotta

Pizza:
Preheat oven 450-500 degrees, if using stone put in oven to preheat.  Form your dough into desired shape and top with cooled white sauce.  Cover with favorite toppings and lots of cheese making sure to stop 1/2 inch from edge.  Add a sprinkle of dried oregano.  Bake in a preheated oven on a hot stone or baking sheet 5-10 min.  Keep checking as it browns quickly.  Try not to burn the roof of your mouth and enjoy!

Toppings:
Broccoli
Ricotta
Spinach-freshly sauted or frozen
Cherry tomatoes
Basil
Ham
Asparagus
Mozzarella

You can't really make a mistake when it comes to toppings.  If you love it on a pizza it's right.  I also love the traditional things like pepperoni and sausage.  Maybe next week!