The Rainbow Connection

This is about the time of year when my oven goes into overdrive. As the weather gets colder and I happily bring the oven back into the fold, I sometimes manage to cook an entire meal right in the oven, without ever turning on the stove top. The other day I roasted a whole chicken for an hour and during the last fifteen minutes of cooking chucked a tray of olive oil-coated brussels sprouts onto the top oven rack. It was such a low maintenance meal that I managed to fold laundry, reply to a few emails and watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother before the timer ever went off. 

But not all meals are quite that hands-off, which is why earlier this week I turned back to the oven for a little help. It's no secret that roasting vegetables is the way to go this time of year (unless you own a deep fryer and can make due with all the calories), and I'm a big advocate of roasting…well, just about everything. It uses less oil than frying but still gives you great flavor. And as far as I'm concerned, the more dark and crunchy bits there are, the better, which is why I roast veggies in a super high oven (400-450 degrees). Classically over-cooked vegetables like brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli are especially tasty done this way, the idea being to maximize the color (i.e. flavor) on the outside, while making sure the inside is just barely cooked. 

If you're looking for a super fast dinner that will encourage the kids (and maybe a spouse or two) to eat their veggies, try making rainbow cauliflower. Aside from the common white variety there's purple, yellow and beautiful spiky green romanesco, and they all taste great (and you get a ton of vitamin C, to boot). I like to buy a small head of each and roast them together for a beautiful side dish that goes well with any protein. I served mine with gorgeous seared sea scallops that only took a minute and a half to cook on each side. Altogether the meal was healthy, fast and delicious. At under half an hour to prepare, this meal is a stunner, and helps you catch up on your veggies (just don't tell everyone else at the table). 

Seared Sea Scallops with Roasted Rainbow Cauliflower

1 lb sea scallops

1 tsp smoked paprika, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided

3 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets (assorted colors if possible)

1 Tablespoon vegetable, canola or peanut oil

Extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat scallops dry and set aside on a paper towel lined plate or platter.

2. Toss cauliflower florets with 1/2 teaspoon of the smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp of the cayenne pepper, and extra virgin olive oil to coat (about 1 Tablespoon). Season with salt and pepper. Spread cauliflower onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until nicely browned and just crisp-tender.

3. Brush scallops with oil on one side and season with half of the cumin and half of the remaining paprika and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add scallops seasoned and oiled side down. Brush top side with oil and remaining cumin, paprika and cayenne. Cook on each side until browned and crusted, about one minute per side. 

4. Serve scallops hot and topped with roasted cauliflower and a light drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

-Laura

What In The World Is Aguachile?

 

If, like me, you're a lover of fish and seafood in their near-raw state, it's possible you've heard of aguachile. No? Then it's possible you've had it under the guise of ceviche, seafood carpaccio or pickled sashimi, but the truth is, it may have been closer to aguachile. What is aguachile, exactly? Well, it means "chili water" and I think of it as the spicy, tart cousin of ceviche, the method of cooking where acid cooks seafood in place of heat. In the case of aguachile the star ingredient is only barely permitted to cure in its sour soak before being served icy cold and almost entirely raw. Unlike ceviche, the purpose of aguachile is not to use the acid as a cure, but as a flavoring agent. The acid is either infused or in some cases blended with chiles for a spicy bite that stands up to the ice cold seafood. Sweet rock shrimp and gorgeous diver scallops make perfect foils for aguachile because of their natural sweetness and soft texture. Quality and freshness of ingredients is of the utmost importance when making aguachile, since you will essentially be eating them raw.

Shrimp are typically halved lengthwise, rendering them thin and flat, while scallops can be cut into halves or thirds, and (my favorite) pounded thin, carpaccio-style, if they're large. The main ingredient should essentially be sitting in a puddle of liquid, be it lemon, lime or yuzu, barely covering the protein (as the photo above demonstrates, the lime juice puddle is just barely detectable around the edges of the scallop). The only other necessary ingredients are cilantro, onions and chilies, which depending on your mood or preference can be chopped finely for added crunch, or all blended together like a jalapeño pesto, spooned over the protein. I generally go for the former because I like to savor each ingredient on its own and find the flavors to be cleaner that way.

If you decide to take on aguachile (and I highly suggest you do) I recommend you start by buying the freshest possible shrimp/scallops/fish, at a farmers market if at all possible (these guys actually catch what they're selling and know exactly how long it's been out of the water). Don't feel bad about being picky, and ask the fishmonger if you can smell what you're buying—it should smell of the sea and not at all "fishy". Ask where it's from, and in the case of scallops, if they're "wet" or "dry". Anyone that's tried searing scallops only to end up with a watery pan and no crust was using "wet" scallops, which are soaked in phosphates during transport to help them retain moisture and look like the plump, picture perfect scallops we'd all like to see in the market—not mention add to their weight, and therefore what you paid for them. I've fallen for these plump beauties many a time, and the truth is they'll never form a crust and should be avoided. Always go for "dry" scallops and you won't have a problem with flavor or texture.

Once you're set with ingredients, make sure to keep your proteins refrigerated until you've prepped everything else so they're nice and cold for serving. Squeeze lemons or limes into a container and also keep refrigerated while you chop the remaining ingredients. The scallops in aguachile pictured above are simply sitting in a lime juice bath that marinated on its own with red and green jalapeños, chives in place of onions (because it's spring) and micro cilantro (because...well, my cilantro plant is still tiny). While the spicy-sour mixture chilled in the fridge I got to halving scallops and pounding them thin between two pieces of cling wrap, setting each piece on a plate in one thin layer as I went. When I was done I retrieved the lime mixture from the fridge and poured it over the scallops along with a few fresh sprigs of the cilantro and chives, and served it immediately. It made two very generous portions and could absolutely have been divided into four appetizer portions for entertaining. I like mine extra tart and quite spicy (which is really what it should be) so I made use of any leftover lime mixture by pouring it over my own plate. Here's the simple recipe I made, a great base to start from if you're new to aguachile, but that can easily be expanded upon with spicier peppers, various proteins and a variety of herbs.

Diver Scallops In Aguachile

1/2 lb dry fresh diver scallops, halved lengthwise

1/3 cup lime juice

1 jalapeño, finely minced (I used half a red and half a green for color)

1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided

1 Tbsp finely chopped chive, divided

salt

1. Combine lime juice, minced jalapeño, half of the cilantro and half of the chive in a small bowl or measuring cup. Refrigerate.

2. Meanwhile, place a scallop half between two pieces of cling wrap and lightly pound flat using a mallet or heavy bottomed pan (they should be 1/8"-1/16" thick). Place on your serving platter or plate. Repeat with all pieces until they are flattened.

3. Pour an equal amount of the refrigerated mixture onto each plate and top with the remaining cilantro and chive. Season lightly with sea salt and serve immediately, or chill for up to 15 minutes before serving (any longer and the scallops will be completely cured and you'll have ceviche). Enjoy!

-Laura