Food Porn

Sep. 17th, 2009 08:13 pm
pecunium: (Default)
[personal profile] pecunium
It's been awhile since I've done any really creative cooking. It's not that I've not done any fun cooking. I've been taking advantage of CG and her primary, and various friends, to do some, but eggs benedict, and the like, while fun (and full of gratifying praises) are variations on themes well known. It isn't really improv.

I was at the market, getting cream and bread, when I saw the fish counter. My housemate it an ovo/lacto/pescotarian, and I like scallops; for which they had a decent price. I bought half a pound (scallops aren't crap, I can find a surfeit, but half a pound is well inside my margin of eating).

I got some beans, some provolone, selected some potatoes, and planned to make some sort of scallop diavolo. Somehow I forgot to put the potatoes in my basket (I also forgot the bread, having been disctracted by the cheese and the scallops).

I asked Les what she was doing for dinner, and told her I had enough for two. As I was prepping she asked if the offer was still open, which it was.

Dice an onion and caramelize. While it is melting take about 1/3rd cup cream, add about 1/3rd teaspoon cinnamon (to taste, but the resulting mix, when whisked, should be colored, and perfumed), simmer.

Keep the pan for the onions warm.

Place a pot of water on the boil for pasta (I used rotoni).

When the onion is well browned (but not burnt, a few pieces can be crisp, but that's it) add it to the cream, keep on the fire. Toss in a healthy splash of madiera (I was using ), and reduce some until a bit thicker than you think you want it to be.

When the sauce is just shy of being thick enough, add salt, to taste. When it's done, add a 1/4 teaspoon, or so, of freshly cracked pepper (we had green peppercorns in the house, so a slightly smaller amount of black might be the case), remove.

Put oil in the onions pan, get it hot (a bit shy of smoking for olive oil)

Drain the pasta.

Brown the scallops. Toss the pan, when the scallops start to weep they are done. Pout the entire mix (oil, scallops and weep water) into the cream sauce. Mix it, and dress the pasta.

Serv hym forth

Date: 2009-09-18 03:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ann-totusek.livejournal.com
Dude...if your scallops are weeping, they're still alive, and Ariel is gonna get you for hurting her little pals. (Flounders are so much cuter than scallops....)

Seriously- NUM! My mom likes scallops- I'm going to have to try this for her.

Date: 2009-09-18 05:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
Um, so where's the porn? Dude. You promised PORN!

Date: 2009-09-18 06:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
What? You need visuals or something?

:)

Date: 2009-09-18 06:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
I can't be bothered to actually read the articles!

Date: 2009-09-18 06:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
Ok. The next time we are in the same city, I'll have to cook.

Date: 2009-09-18 06:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
Or the time after next. I'm flying down tomorrow, but will just be passing through as we're spending most of the visit at Tassajara Zen Center doing trailwork.

Date: 2009-09-18 06:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
Since I won't be in SF, much less points north, during this trip, we won't be in the same city.

:)

Date: 2009-09-18 06:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
OK then!

Date: 2009-09-18 06:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
(Though we're headed south, actually.)

Date: 2009-09-18 06:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
Oh, then avoid Moutain View, or make plans to swing by East Palo Alto.

Where is the Zen Center (somehow I thought it was in Marin)?

Date: 2009-09-18 06:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dianyla.livejournal.com
Green Gulch farm (affiliated with SFZC) is up in Marin. Tassajara is down in the Ventana Wilderness.

Date: 2009-09-18 06:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] djdigit.livejournal.com
Yum, yum, yum, yum!

Date: 2009-09-18 12:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] niamh-sage.livejournal.com
I am not a seafood eater, but that sounds delicious! Is there anything else that could be subsituted for scallops, or is the sauce specifically geared to suit them?

Date: 2009-09-18 03:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pecunium.livejournal.com
I made it with scallops in mind, and the flavor was a little unbalanced without them. It might be good with a rich squash, say acorn, or butternut.

In that case I'd add a little more cinnamon and a bit more pepper.

Date: 2009-09-18 02:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] silmaril.livejournal.com
I would like to come back with the very erudite comment of OM NOM NOM NOM.

Also, adding to recipe memories.

Date: 2009-09-18 09:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mesoterica.livejournal.com
Ooooh! *saves to "Try This Recipe" folder*

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