poy: Seared Scallops with Warm Tuscan Beans

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Seared Scallops with Warm Tuscan Beans

A healthy serving of white beans and spinach are an excellent pairing with seared sea scallops, flavored with crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. Serve alongside slices of toasted garlic bread for sopping up the oniony white wine broth and you've got a warm and comforting, yet light and healthy dish that I'd deem perfect for a cold, resolution ridden January.

The recipe was adapted from Cooking Light, March 2009. (Recipe from 1989 Cookbook coming soon.) I halved the amount of scallops in the original recipe, since I'm cooking for 2 and not 4. However, you could cook as many scallops as your heart desires. A little over 1/2 a pound was equal to 7 scallops. (Of course, this will vary with scallop size.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

I purchased a bottle of Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc, perfect for sipping and suitable for cooking.

The recipe calls for one pan, cooking the scallops first and the broth, beans and spinach second. I prefer to cook the scallops simultaneously in a separate pan. Understanding this creates an extra dish to clean, but this way the scallops maintain their heat and don't wait around much longer while the rest of the meal comes together.

I guess you need three pans if you want to cook the garlic bread the way Cooking Light suggests. Simply heat a grill pan over medium heat and brush 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly over slices of French bread. Add the bread to pan and cook two minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Rub one side of each bread slice with cut sides of a halved garlic clove.

For the broth, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion to pan and saute about three minutes. Add the red pepper and garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, cook for one minute or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Stir in the vegetable stock and beans, cook for two minutes. Add the spinach, cook for one minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and stir in chopped basil.

For the scallops, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with salt. Add the scallops to the pan; cook two to three minutes on each side or until done.