Sea Scallops Provincial with Roasted Beets & Greens

A tiny black hole crowded with scallops, artichoke hearts, chicken, shrimp, peas, pork dumplings, & of course, a pint or two of ice cream is tucked away in our minuscule late 70's tan kitchen. Our freezer is packed to the gills, so I made a pact with Ray to make this official clean-out-the-freezer week. Armed with a few veggies from the farmers market, we aim to use up the excess that is crowding our ever shrinking freezer space.

The scallops were the first to go. The best way to defrost these guys is in the fridge over night, but if that's not quick enough, wrap them in an air tight bag & plop them into a bowl of room temperature water for an hour or so. Scallops will keep frozen for a month or so (& I'm sure we had approached that limit). I paired ours with roasted beets & some mystery greens from the farmer's market. I was told that they were "indian vegetable" & "very delicious." Does anyone recognize these little greens? Whatever they were, they were yummy.

Sea Scallops Provincial

1 lb. fresh bay or sea scallops
1/4 c. or so all-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 leek, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
1/3 c. dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in half

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp. of the butter over high heat & add the leeks. Saute until soft, about 3 minutes, then push them to the sides of the pan leaving space in the middle.

Add 1 tbsp. of the butter & heat until sizzling then add the scallops. Lower the heat to medium & allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total.

Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the garlic, & parsley & saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, & taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Roasted Beets

2 medium sized beets

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the beets on a foiled lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil, & 1 tsp. salt. Roast for 45 minutes then take them out & turn them. Drizzle a tad more olive oil on if necessary.

Remove from the oven, cool for 15 minutes, peel & slice into 1/4" thick rounds. Serve alone with a pinch of salt & a drizzle of really good olive oil or in a salad.