My Seared Scallops

I made seared scallops last night (10 June 2024), which I served with a side of broccoli, and a mushroom and spinach risotto.

 
Serves 1
 
Ingredients
 
5 large sea scallops
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour

2 T  avocado oil
1 T butter
Squeeze of fresh lemon
1 T or so white wine
 
Instructions
 
Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel to remove any excess water.
 
Place the scallops onto a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then lightly coat with the flour.
 
In a skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. Once hot, add the scallops in one layer (don’t move them until ready to flip over) and cook for 90-120 seconds; flip over and cook for another 90 seconds until they are golden brown.  You don't want to overcook the scallops. the center should be translucent. 
 
Remove the scallops to a serving dish and deglaze the pan with the wine scraping any bits to get all that yummy flavor to make a sauce. Pour over the scallops and squeeze lemon over the top.
 

Service right away with your favorite sides.

Notes:

I made a delicious mushroom risotto with spinach and parmesan to go with the scallops: 

https://sunbasket.com/recipe/mushroom-risotto-with-spinach-and-parmesan

I cut the recipe in half, which still made a lot, so have leftovers. 
 
I added one clove of garlic, chopped, when I added the onions to the pan.
 
I used chicken broth instead of water.
 
I did not add any additional salt and pepper when I added the parmesan cheese at the end (missing in the instructions).
 
What I really liked about this recipe is that it calls for adding all the water (broth) at one time, rather than a traditional risotto recipe where you add the broth a little a time until it's all absorbed. 

Instant Pot Pork Chops

23 January 2022

I had a couple of pork chops on hand, so I wanted to make them in the instant pot with a red sauce.

Most recipes I found called for thick chops. Mine were 1/2 inch thick, so I had to adjust the time for cooking. I checked on a couple of facebook pages and got some suggestions. 

Here’s my recipe:  

 

2 1/2” bone in pork chops

Olive oil for the bottom of the pot

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3rd cup chopped onions (next time I’ll keep them in larger pieces)

A couple of small red peppers, thick slice

Dash of Italian seasoning

Dash of onion powder

Smoked Paprika, just a little. Next time I’ll add more.

1 can of diced tomatoes and its juices

About 4 T. Rao’s tomato sauce

About 1/2 cup of white wine

Fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

10-12 Italian green olives

1 small can of mushrooms, drained (didn’t have fresh on hand)

Salt and Pepper

 

Season the pork chops with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and onion powder.

 

With the Sauté setting, add some olive oil and added the two chops to brown. Add the garlic, onions, peppers and salt/pepper (I placed them around the pork chops.  Turn the pork chops to the other side to brown; about 3-4 minutes on each side.

 

Turn off the IP.  Top the pork chops with the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, parsley, olives and mushrooms.

 

Pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by a Natural Release. 

The Natural Release took about 18 minutes. Next time I won’t let the natural release go beyond 13-14 minutes. The chops came out not quite tender, but not tough at all. Or I’ll buy thicker chops.

 

I had some leftover grits to serve as a side.

 

Maryland Crab Cakes

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. 

Credit to: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maryland-crab-cakes/

Ingredients (with my comments in [  ]

1 large egg

1/4 cup (60g) mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried) [I used dried]

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard [I only used 1 t. You can also use classic yellow mustard]

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce [I only used 1 t.] 

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (up to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons for a spicier kick) [One 1 t. is fine for my taste]

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pound fresh lump crab meat

2/3 cup Saltine cracker crumbs (about 14 crackers) [I use 6-7 crackers. The less filler, the better!]

Optional: 2 Tablespoons (30g) melted salted or unsalted butter [I leave out the butter to save on the fat calories; plus I don’t find it necessary]

Instructions

Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt together in a large bowl. Place the crab meat on top, followed by the cracker crumbs. [I add the cracker crumbs to the egg, mayo, etc. dressing before adding the crab meat. This allows the crumbs to blend with the other ingredients].

With a rubber spatula or large spoon, very gently and carefully fold together. You don’t want to break up that crab meat! 

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. [I keep mine in the refrigerator for at least an hour.]

Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter or nonstick spray or line with a silicone baking mat. [Or line the baking sheet with parchment paper].

Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, portion the crab cake mixture into 6 mounds on the baking sheet. (Don’t flatten!) Use your hands or a spoon to compact each individual mound so there aren’t any lumps sticking out or falling apart. For extra flavor, brush each with melted butter. This is optional but recommended!

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and on top. Drizzle each with fresh lemon juice and serve warm.

You can also broil them for 10 minutes (don't turn over) or pan fry in a cast iron skillet with 2 T of butter over medium heat and cook until golden brown, 3-5 minutes on each side. 

 Ingredients

 Lump Crab

 Mixing it all together

 Form into cakes

 Baked crab cakes

Lentil & Quinoa Soup

Recently I was in the mood for lentil soup. I looked online site for recipes and found several good ones. I wanted to use my Instant Pot, so I followed this recipe with some adaptation: 
 
https://profusioncurry.com/lentil-quinoa-soup-instantpot/?fbclid=IwAR3T2x7z4ANRczVvcXYAWvUyURKlMLYWYigYeZ1wXteu4SYtWmYQ_tH-aJI
 
In bold are my additions/changes
 
1 cup dry brown or green lentils washed and rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
4 carrots chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups water or broth [I used low fat, low sodium chicken broth]
Added 1 can of diced tomatoes with the juices
Splash of dry white wine (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Umami Seasoning Blend (optional ) [I didn’t have this so I added a bunch of mushrooms, sliced, along with a teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard, some red pepper flakes, and dried thyme]
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot. Stir.

Close the lid. Switch the vent to "sealing". Choose MANUAL ( Pressure cook) mode, choose High Pressure and adjust the time to 12 minutes. It will take around 10 minutes to get up to pressure.

When the InstantPot beeps after cooking, wait on KEEP WARM timer for 5 minutes. Then move the valve to "venting". After the pressure is released, and pin is down, carefully open the lid.

Give the soup a good stir. Adjust the seasoning. Squeeze a quarter of lemon or stir in lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning. Add some fresh cracked black pepper on top and garnish with fresh herbs.
 
I topped the soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Scallops with Pesto Sauce

 

I made a pesto pasta with scallops and vegetables for dinner one night. It was pretty simple to prepare and just something I tossed together.
This is a serving for one.
 
5 scallops (rinse, pat dry, and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper)
3 large mushrooms, sliced
Red bell pepper, sliced (about 1/5th of a pepper)
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
About 3 T. pesto (I make my own)
Olive oil
2 oz. pasta (I bought the Barilla Thin Spaghetti Protein+ pasta)
 
In a large pot, bring water to a boil with some salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the pasta when ready. It took about 6-7 minutes to cook.
 
Meanwhile, in a large pan, fry the garlic, mushrooms, and bell pepper in olive oil. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan, and add a tablespoon of olive oil and pan fry the scallops. Cook about 4 minutes on each side.
 
Drain the pasta and add the pesto; mix in. Plate the pasta and top with the scallops and vegetables. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves. Eat and enjoy!
 
You can add more vegetables if you'd like. I would have liked more mushrooms because they cooked down quite a bit.

Roasted Lamb Shoulder

My friend Bruce K. made this wonderful lamb for Passover.

Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Ingredients:

6.5 Lb. lamb shoulder, whole bone in

2/3 C. olive oil

4-5 cloves of garlic, mashed to a paste

1/4 C. parsley, minced

1/4 C. cilantro, minced

2 t. thyme

2 t. cumin

2 t. paprika

1 T. Kosher salt

2 t. ground black pepper

For the Gravy:

1 C. red wine

2 t. cornstarch

Special equipment: A roasting pan with a rack.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together all the spices with the olive oil, excluding the salt and pepper.

Use the salt and pepper to season the lamb, and then cover the lam with the olive oil mixture.

Place the lamb on the rack in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup of water and half a cup of olive oil to the bottom of the pan (this is for basting, make sure the liquids don’t touch the lamb).

Roast uncovered for 30 minutes while basting the lamb once or twice.

Cover the lamb for another 1 hour, 45 minutes (however see below for doneness temperature) while basting the meat every 45 minutes.

Remove the lamb and let cool off a bit and then remove the bone (it should come right off).

For the gravy: Take all the juices left over in the pan and add the red wine and cornstarch, stir to combine and reduce for 10 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy!

The right temperature for the doneness you want:

Rare: 115 to 120°F

Medium-rare: 120 to 125°F

Medium: 130 to 135°F

Medium-well: 140 to 145°F

Well-done: 150 to 155°F