This recipe is filled with the freshest produce of the season. I found a lovely assortment of warm weather veggies at the market this week: pole beans, farm-fresh summer squash and juicy tomatoes. My mind directly went to a combination of all three, plus some fresh basil.
I visualized this combination on the plate and thought it would be a lovely base for a family-style platter of seared scallops. Seared until browned on top yet still tender, I finished the scallops off with a dunk into grated Pecorino Romano cheese for a creamy finished. To make the meal complete, I like serving everything over cooked freekeh, but any whole grain would work wonderfully.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Pecorino-Crusted Scallops with Braised Summer Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- 8 oz. green beans or pole beans, ends trimmed, beans cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow squash, cut into half moons
- 6 Campari tomatoes, quartered—or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 12-16 large sea scallops, side muscle removed
- Grated pecorino cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- For serving: chiffonade of fresh basil & cooked whole grains (farro, brown rice, freekeh, etc.)
Directions:
- To make the braised vegetables, start by heating 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large, straight-sided saute pan along with the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Add in the prepped green beans and cut squash; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of black pepper. Saute for an additional 5 minutes; add in the wine and the tomatoes; cook for 2 more minutes.
- Next comes the stock; add the stock into the pan and reduce the heat to low. This will allow the veggies to be flavored by the stock while they finished tenderizing. Cook over low heat for 7-8 more minutes, or until the squash and beans are tender. Taste the veggies and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- To sear the scallops, heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add in the scallops and cook for 1 1/2 minutes; flip and cook 30 seconds more. Remove from the pan and dip the browned side into the grated cheese.
- Serve the braised veggies over your cooked whole grains, with some fresh basil. Top with the Pecorino-crusted scallops. Serve immediately.
Tagged: braised vegetables, braising, Campari tomatoes, chicken stock, cooked whole grains, freekeh, fresh basil, garlic, grated cheese, green beans, pecorino romano cheese, pecorino-crusted scallops, pole beans, scallops, sea scallops, seared scallops, shallot, summer vegetables, tomatoes, white wine, yellow squash
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