Two nights – two twenty minute meals – part one

For a variety of reasons having to do with broken appliances, laundry, the postal service’s customer service “hot” line, and a mis-delivered piece of athletic apparel, I had a narrower time frame than usual for preparing dinner the last couple of nights.  I realize that in some other households, if the cook is delayed in getting started, it’s possible to delay serving the meal.  That isn’t an easy proposition in my house.  My two parrots expect to be sharing dinner with me by 6:30 pm at the latest and if we all aren’t eating together by then, they are not shy about making their displeasure known.  So if circumstances prevent me from even checking the ‘fridge for ingredients before 6:00 pm, I know I’ve got to hustle.

On both Friday and Saturday evenings this week I didn’t get to the kitchen until just after 6:00 but in both nights, I made what I think were really nice, flavorful dinners, with nothing ready made or prepared in advance.

I do cook quite a bit of fish and if speed is a problem when preparing dinner, fresh fish is a great solution.  Some frozen fish taste perfectly fine (I’ve bought frozen mahi mahi, tilapia, and salmon, and all worked well) but they won’t work if you’re in a hurry and haven’t already defrosted them.  You also have to be a little concerned with overcooking fish but you can also make a delicious centerpiece in no time with the right fish.

In any event, the first decision is the protein.  On Friday, I’d purchased some scallops earlier in the day and decided to go with them.  I had a partially used head of cabbage that I wanted to use, and thought I’d figure out the rest as I proceeded.  So step one is to heat up some olive oil in a skillet on medium and then add the cabbage, which I’d sliced while heating up the oil.  I stirred the cabbage vigorously for a couple of minutes, then turned down the heat and put on the cover.  The goal was to caramelize the cabbage by sweating them under cover for about 6-7 minutes, then uncovering to evaporate the liquid and caramelize.

While the cabbage is doing its thing, I decided on a side salad instead of a second vegetable.  A few slices of fennel, a few slices of granny smith apple, mixed in a bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar.  Added a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of pepper and then set aside.  Just before plating I’ll add some blue cheese and walnuts.

Turned the heat up under the cast-iron skillet to medium-high to get it hot.  While that’s happening, I dried the scallops with a dishtowel, added salt and pepper, and set them aside for the skillet.  Removed the cover from the cabbage to let that evaporate a bit.

Now it’s time to bring it all home.  When the skillet is hot, I added just enough vegetable oil to cover the surface and added the scallops.  I’ll let those sear for two minutes, which gives me enough time to finish the cabbage by adding a little olive oil, a small splash of sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds.  Stir and turn the heat down to low to keep it warm.

Flip the scallops and get ready to check in one minute.  Add a little blue cheese and walnuts to the salad, mix, and plate.  Check the scallops – if the other side is well seared, plate them.  Otherwise, plate the cabbage first and then the scallops.  You’d rather have the scallops a bit undercooked than overcooked.

And the whole dinner was done by 6:27 pm, thus satisfying my parrots need for a on-time dinner presentation.  It also was a dinner with three distinct parts that all tasted great by themselves and as part of an integrated whole.  For one thing, everything is white which makes for a distinguished look on the plate.  For another, the flavors of olive oil, sherry vinegar and fennel are present in both the salad and the cabbage, mixing with the tartness of the apple and the salty creaminess of the blue cheese in one case and the sweetness of the cabbage in the other. Searing scallops in a hot skillet is my favorite way of cooking them.  The searing adds a bit of crunch but doesn’t blow the “scallopness” of the interior away – their sweetness is almost intensified by the searing.

I’m not going to go into this level of detail about Saturday’s dinner, but the approach was similar.  I made a raw carrot salad with lemon juice, raisins, walnuts, and tarragon that was delicious.  The vegetable was broccoli rabe, pan steamed and then sautéed in garlic and oil.  It’s a technique I’ll be talking about in a future post.  For the protein, I seared a piece of turbot in the cast iron skillet and then made a pan sauce of butter, chardonnay, and tarragon.  This meal probably took a few minutes less than Friday’s but was still very satisfying and required no advance work or any special ingredients.

Good meals don’t require hours of preparation.

Recipe – Fennel and apple salad

Ingredients

1 granny smith apple, peeled and sliced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sherry vinegar

1 tbl crumbled blue cheese

1 tbl toasted walnuts

1 tbl fennel seeds

salt and pepper

Directions

Mix the apple and fennel slices in a medium bowl.  Add the vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper.  Mix and let rest for at least ten minutes. Add the blue cheese, walnuts, and fennel seeds, mix and serve.

Recipe – Seared scallops

Ingredients

1 lb “dry” sea scallops

1 tbl vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Directions

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high.  While that’s happening, season the scallops with salt and pepper.  When the skillet is hot, add the oil and swirl it around to cover.  Add the scallops and let them cook for two minutes.   Flip them and check the color of the top side.  If the top looks like a delicious golden sear, cook the other side for one minute.  If the top looks a little pale, the second side will need two minutes.  Remove promptly and plate.

Recipe – Seared turbot

Ingredients

2 6 oz pieces of turbot

1 tbl vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

2 tbl butter

2 tbl dry white wine

1 tbl tarragon, chopped

Directions

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high.  While that’s happening, season the turbot with salt, pepper, and anything else you might fancy.  I’ve used smoked paprika, dried thyme, herbes de Provence, and various spice rubs in the past. When the skillet is hot, add the oil and swirl it around to cover.  Add the turbot and let it cook for three minutes before flipping.  If the top side is browned in places, then the second side only needs to be cooked for about a minute.  If the top side doesn’t show some signs of browning, let the other side cook for two minutes.

Remove the fish and plate. Turn the heat down the medium and add the butter and wine to the skillet.  Stir constantly and vigorously until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add the tarragon and immediately pour over the fish. Serve.