Emilie wants to keep eating the Scallop and Sweet Pea Barley Risotto.

Okay, a little play on what I could announce on my Facebook profile, because my little world of friends do care what I want to keep eating. You my dear reader obviously care too or else you would not be wasting precious time of which so little is to be had in our hurried 21st century days. Sunday, originally invented to be the day of rest, was my day of errands – laundry, massive shopping spree at Target (three 12 packs of Kleenex Cottonelle, two 16 packs of Viva paper towels, 400 gallons of Purell Free and Clear laundry detergent, you get the drift), hauling up the stairs and organizing the provisions from Target, and, oh yeah, supper.

Oooh, Sunday supper, one of my favorite meals as I normally have the extra time to create a more complex meal and yesterday was no exception despite the chores. After I organized the closet just so (on the very top shelf, balancing the toilet paper atop the paper towels so that when I reach for either, all will come cascading onto my head and thank the heavens we do not wipe “things” with bricks and rocks), I organized my kitchen for what promised to be a wholesome dish – Sweet Pea and Scallop Barley Risotto kindly borrowed from Tyler Florence’s version. Being that risotto is one of those dishes that seems to multiply the more I spoon it onto a dish, I halved the recipe to serve 2-3 instead of 4-6. I still have about 2 servings for leftovers this week. Besides halving the portion size, I dare say I did not stray much from the original recipe with the exception of using barley in place of Arborio rice and half chicken stock half clam juice. Oh yes, I did add a touch of fresh lemon zest at the end, and this, along with the other minor changes, are keepers. In fact, Emilie wants to keep eating the Scallop and Sweet Pea Barley Risotto – but she’ll save some for lunch the next day.

Scallop and Sweet Pea Barley Risotto

Adapted from Tyler Florence’s Food 911 – Rescue Risotto

1 cup fresh peas, cooked (if using frozen, rinse under cool water to thaw) - divided
2 cups chicken stock mixed with 2 cups clam juice, heated
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound bay scallops
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 slim, slim stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cups pearl barley
½ cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 - 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Zest of one lemon

Puree ½ cup of the peas with a few ladles of warmed stock. Set pureed peas aside.* In a large, deep skillet, over medium heat warm the butter and sauté scallops until they are just shy of done, about 2-3 minutes. They’ll finish cooking at the end of the risotto. Tip shallots from the pan, pouring any accumulating juices into the pan of warm broth, and set shallots aside.

Add olive oil to the pan, warm the pan over medium heat, and sauté the celery and shallots until they are soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the barley, and allow it to absorb the shallot and celery goodness for a minute or so. It will lightly toast and pop a bit, so stir a few times. Add the wine, let it bubble, stir a bit, and then let the barley absorb the wine before adding the first ladle of warm broth. Stir the barley after adding the broth, but from here, I do not feel the need to tell you to stir, stir, stir the barley until the broth is absorbed. As a matter of fact, I washed dishes as each ladle of broth was added and absorbed. Of course since my kitchen is so small that I can stand in the middle, reach out both my arms and touch my neighbors (to the north and south of me), I did not feel guilty for not hovering over my barley risotto. However, if your kitchen is a touch bigger than mine so that your sink is in a different zip code than your stove, perhaps hanging around and stirring a bit is not such a bad idea. But you do not have to smother your risotto. Let it breath, let it be independent.

Okay, so the first ladle of broth is added. Stir a bit, let it absorb, keeping the heat on a steady medium to medium-low (do not let the broth evaporate out through bubbling too much or you will have to add more liquid at the end). As each ladle of broth is absorbed, add another ladle, stir, repeat until the last ladle is added and the barley is giving up its bite. It will be chewy but it should not be crunchy. This should take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

Once the barley is chewy and creamy, add the reserved pureed peas and the whole peas. Stir, cover the pan, and let it simmer maybe 3 minutes or so. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest, and scallops. Cover pan and let risotto heat through for another minute or two before serving perhaps with a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a dab or butter or a twist of lemon – or just by its own good self as I did.

*You may be tempted to skip step to puree the peas as I was tempted to skip it. However, in the end I was grateful I took the time to puree the peas as I was rewarded with an extra velvety and a lightly sweet and earthy risotto. On a rushed weeknight, try using orzo in place of the barley and do not bother pureeing the peas, just toss them end at the end and let them simmer in the risotto for a few minutes.

Whatever Floats Your Oats

So it took a leg’s breaking to encourage Shane to sow his (steel-cut) oats in the morning. With a colorful assortment of various drugs and supplements, Shane’s brain says “bacon and eggs with buttery toast” but I interpret “big bowl of steamy oatmeal with milk and a pat of butter – easy on the brown sugar.” Lately Shane’s stomach as agreed with my interpretation, because he is actually requesting a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Someone please dial a notary and get this statement notarized – Shane likes his morning oatmeal.

As do I. I like my oatmeal with a few dashes of salt and a plop of crème fraiche though I will not turn down a bowl of the creamy, milk-simmered kind. And as I am one who craves a bit of savory greens to get my day going, I am not opposed to stirring in a truck full of greens, be it baby spinach or chopped kale, before stirring in the finishing crème fraiche. Not quite a risotto, not quite soft polenta, creamy, chewy oats with creamy greens is one of my favorite starts to the day.

Shane likes his lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and for that I am happy to accommodate.

Oats come in many mind-boggling forms from fruity to rolled and my favorite, steel-cut. Sometimes labeled as Irish Oats or Scotch Oats, are whole grain oat groats (thank you Wikipedia.org for helping me describe that). Steel cut oats take longer to cook than traditional oats – sometimes as long as 30 minutes. However, the time can be greatly cut down if the oats are soaked overnight in half or all the cooking liquid. If I am going to simmer my oats partially in milk, I will soak the oats in water over night and in the morning add milk to the soaking liquid and oats before starting them to a simmer. This reduces the cooking time to a reasonable 10 to 15 minutes, time which rewards Shane and me with bowls of creamy and chewy goodness that can be served straight-up, with a shot of sugar and butter, or a bunch of greens finished with that dollop of crème fraiche.

Pressed for even more time? Try it on a lazy Sunday morning, make extras for the next few days, and reheat it on a busy morning, stirring some extra water or milk to un-clump the grains.

Emilie’s Early Morning Greens and Groats

1/3 cup steel-cut oatmeal (Irish Oats or Scotch Oats)
1 2/3 cups water
Dash of salt plus more to taste
1 huge bunch of chopped baby spinach, kale, arugula, or swiss chard
1 or 2 tablespoons crème fraiche (to taste)

Soak oats in the water overnight.

Bring oats and soaking water to a simmer and add salt. Reduce heat and stir, stir, stir, especially since oats like to make water foam and boil over. Once mixture has thickened a bit, let oats simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to ensure the oats are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once oats start have absorbed most of the water and are to a desired consistency, add the greens, a handful at a time, and stir until the greens wilt. Repeat until all the greens are in the pot and wilted. Add crème Fraiche, taste for seasonings, and adjust as needed. Serve immediately with a dab of butter or extra cream if you so desire.
Here’s a different take on Greens and Groats that I tried this morning:

Emilie’s Early Morning Nutty Greens and Groats

1/3 cup steel-cut oatmeal (Irish Oats or Scotch Oats)
1 2/3 cups water
Dash of salt plus more to taste
1 huge bunch of chopped baby spinach, kale, arugula, or swiss chard
2 tablespoons crunchy almond butter, peanut butter, or ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts

Soak oats in the water overnight.

Bring oats and soaking water to a simmer and add salt. Reduce heat and stir, stir, stir, especially since oats like to make water foam and boil over. Once mixture has thickened a bit, let oats simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to ensure the oats are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once oats start have absorbed most of the water and are to a desired consistency, add the greens, a handful at a time, and stir until the greens wilt. Repeat until all the greens are in the pot and wilted. Add nut butter or nuts of choice, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately with a dab of butter or extra cream if you so desire, but I prefer mine dairy-free to let the nuttiness shine.

And did I mention how apropos that in the month of St. Patrick's Day I am urging my faithful readers to make Irish-style oats laced with greens?

All for Me, None for Him

I do get bummed when a meal does not pass the muster of Shane’s taste buds. Considering how many times I have teased and tested Shane’s taste buds, I suppose I am a tad more reckless about pushing the culinary edge than when we first married. Too timid to cook anything beyond the basic chicken and sweet potatoes, steak and roasted potatoes, or salmon cakes and corn relish, nowadays I am bold enough to plop a rare lamb chop surrounded by Flageolet beans and roasted baby tomatoes expecting gobbles and proclamations of “yum” – both of which I received Saturday evening – yay me!

However, there are nights when, after picking at my lovingly created meal, Shane’s only salvation is in the bag of Matt’s Real Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies chased by Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup-doctored glass of 2 % milk. Perhaps what I created is not exactly his cup of tea, as the Tepary Beans with Prosciutto and Creamy Mustard Dressing I made last week.

Okay, I loved this dish with the savory beans, pungent stone-ground mustard and richness of the Prosciutto – but then again, I am not on medication right now. I happen to forget that with a body pumped full of narcotics, simple is better for Shane. I, on the other hand, need the dance of flavors that by themselves are pirouetting to their own Tchaikovsky before bumping up against each other to form a well synchronized troupe.

Alas, right now Shane needs the soothing strings of a single violin or cello over an entire sympathy’s performance of crashes and crescendos accompanying legs and tutus in one beautifully mad spectacle.

We can go back to chicken for a while sweetie. And yes, I enjoyed the lamb too.

Bean or Lentil Salad with Prosciutto and Creamy Mustard Dressing



I used Rancho Gordo's Brown Tepary Beans for this salad. They are wonderful, savory beans that have more chew than lentils. Substitute Puy Lentils, Cranberry Beans, or any heirloom bean.

½ pound Brown Tepary Beans, Cranberry Beans or any heirloom beans or Puy Lentils
1 fat clove of garlic, squashed, skin removed, but do not chop
1 sprig rosemary
Salt
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup chopped Prosciutto
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook beans or lentils with the clove of garlic, sprig of rosemary and a good shake of salt until just tender. If using very fresh beans, soaking is not required. However, if you think your beans are not so fresh, give them a good soak for about 6 hours. Beans should take about an hour or so to cook, lentils maybe 30 minutes but give them a check after 20 minutes. Remove sprig of rosemary and garlic if desired (I just left mine in due to laziness), and drain beans or lentils leaving a smidgen of water to keep the beans moist.

Combine crème fraiche, mustards, vinegar and thyme in a large bowl. Add beans or lentils with the smidgen of water, Prosciutto and onion. Mix well and season to taste.

Flageolet Beans with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
by Erica De Mane
From Fine Cooking 30, pp. 32-37

Serves 10 (leftovers freeze nicely)

For the tomatoes:
2 lb. ripe plum tomatoes
1 tsp. kosher salt

For the beans:
1 lb. dried flageolet beans, soaked at least 6 hours
1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh thymeKosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

Roast the tomatoes -- Heat the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Core the tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Put them on the baking sheet, cut side up, and sprinkle with the salt. Bake the tomatoes until they look dry but are still slightly plump and not leathery, 4 to 6 hours, depending on their size. Cut any large pieces in half.

Cook the beans -- Drain the soaking beans and put them in a large pot along with the carrot, onion, and bay leaves. Tie the parsley and thyme together and add them to the pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until tender, about 2 hours. Check that the beans stay covered with liquid, adding more if needed. When the beans are tender, add the salt. (The beans can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. Remove the carrot, onion, herbs, and bay leaves and refrigerate the beans in their liquid.)

In a Dutch oven or high-sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the celery and cook until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. Add the beans and 2 cups of the cooking liquid to the celery and garlic. Add the slow-roasted tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. (At this point, the dish can be covered and held up to an hour at room temperature.)

I served the flageolet beans and tomatoes with four lamb loin chops, each about 3 ounces. In a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and chopped rosemary, I marinated the chops for about four hours. Before searing each chop, I patted the chops dry and seared them in a dry cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. For rare chops I seared for about 2-3 minutes per side. For medium-rare, I upped it to 3 1/2 minutes or so per side. It was trial and error, but the chops were juicy, tender, and just the right amount of meat to complement the beans.