What to make for tonight's dinner

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Fried Scallops over Herb and Garlic Infused Bean Puree


What a quick, easy and flavorful dinner! Lent is here and this recipe meets the lent requirements for a meatless meal. I love this puree of beans infused with a little garlic and herbs. Just about anything can go over it, meat, shellfish or roasted fish. I often make this with seared scallops but tonight did the breadcrumb coated fried scallops. Don't want to be to healthy! Hope you enjoy it.





Ingredients for the bean puree:

1 Can chick peas or other bean- drained
1 cup of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon of chopped mixed herbs. Fresh Thyme also works
1 clove of garlic - chopped

Ingredients for the fried scallops:

1 lb of scallops
1 beaten egg with a touch of salt and olive oil
flour
breadcrumbs
oil for frying

In a small to medium saucepan heat the stock to a boil, add the drained beans along with the garlic, cover and let simmer for several minutes. Transfer the beans to a food processor and puree till smooth. Mix in the chopped fresh herbs. Return to the pan, cover and keep warm.

Set up three bowls to prepare the scallops. One for the flour one for the beaten egg and one for the breadcrumbs. Working in batches, pass the washed and dried scallops thru the flour and then the egg and then the crumbs. In a saute pan large enough to fit all the scallops without overcrowding, heat some vegetable or light olive oil. Fry all together or in batches using a slotted spoon to move them around. This takes but a few minutes. When the scallops are browned, they are done. Remove to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Spoon out the puree into a shallow bowl and place the cooked scallops over the puree. Drizzle a touch of really good Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the whole dish.
You can serve this with a piece of lemon.

This recipe serves two.

A crisp white wine will go great with this.

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