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Menu Plan for the week of Oct. 18, 2013: Friday's Recipes

White Bean Soup with Red Pepper Coulis
Scallops Provençal
Quinoa with Sautéed Shallots

Cooking time:  40 minutes for menu          Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

     The soup is a rather hearty first course - and all vegetable, so we didn't have a vegetable side dish with this dinner.  Save the leftover Red Pepper Coulis for Sunday and the leftover drained tomato sauce for Saturday.  You could use all scallops or all shrimp for the Provençal.

White Bean Soup with Red Pepper Coulis       Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes
     This is a pretty soup as well as delicious.... and simple.  Save the leftover Red Pepper Coulis for another use.

1 shallot
1 tbs olive oil
15oz (450gr) white beans (cannellini)
1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken broth
1 tsp thyme
Red Pepper Coulis

Chop shallot.  Drain and rinse beans.  Heat oil in medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add shallot and sauté until transparent.  Add beans, chicken stock and thyme, cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove 1/4 cup of chicken stock and purée the rest, either in blender or with stick blender.  Check for consistency, add as much of the removed stock as you like (or more) to get desired consistency.  Reheat if needed.
To serve: Ladle soup into bowls.   Carefully drizzle 2 tbs of Red Pepper Coulis on each serving, in a pattern or all in the center and use a warm knife to draw a pattern.   It should float on top of the soup.  Serve.

Red Pepper Coulis

1 red bell pepper no need to peel
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
1 tbs tomato paste

Clean pepper and cut into big pieces.  Sauté shallot in olive oil in a small saucepan until tender.  Add pepper chunks, thyme and chicken stock.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until pepper is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree, using as much chicken stock as needed to make a thick sauce.  Add tomato paste and mix well.  Use 4 tbs for the soup.

Scallops Provençal                                            Preparation and cooking time:  40 minutes
     Tender scallops, quickly sautéed and finished with a tomato, white wine and tarragon sauce.  You can use either the small (bay) scallops or the larger (sea) scallops in this dish.  Just remember to cook them quickly to retain their tenderness.  Large scallops can be cut in half.  Baking and serving from individual casseroles makes a lovely presentation.

7oz (210gr) scallops - out of the shell, thawed if frozen
3oz (90gr) shrimp (prawns) - peeled  or all scallops
4 tsp olive oil
2 shallots
4oz (120gr) mushrooms
1 clove garlic
15oz (450gr) whole tomatoes
1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) white wine
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Finely chop the shallot and garlic.  Open and drain tomatoes, reserving sauce for another use. Roughly chop tomatoes.  Clean and slice mushrooms. 
Heat 2 tsp oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add scallops and sauté until light brown and opaque, being careful not to crowd.  They sometimes have a lot of water in them and you want them sautéed, not steamed.  As they brown remove them and put them into 2 individual, shallow casseroles or one larger one.  In same pan sauté shrimp until they start to curl and turn opaque.  Put into casseroles with scallops.  Add remaining 2 tsp oil to pan along with the shallot, garlic and mushrooms.  Sauté until shallots are tender and starting to brown.  Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste and herbs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.  Add vinegar to sauce and stir.  Spoon sauce over scallops and shrimp.  Bake at 400F (200C) for 10 minutes, until heated through.  Serve directly from casseroles.  If using individual casseroles place them on a baking sheet for easy handling.

Quinoa with Browned Shallots                   Preparation and cooking time:   25 minutes
   This near-perfect food of the Incas has slowly been gaining recognition in the culinary world. It cooks quickly and has a nutty flavor that goes with everything. The browned shallots add a dark, mahogany color to the quinoa and a bit of sweetness.

1/2 cup quinoa 
1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock (or the amount of liquid your package recommends)
2 medium shallots
2 tsp olive oil

Peel and roughly chop shallots.  Heat oil in a small saucepan.  Add shallots and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes.  Add quinoa, stock, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until done, about 15 minutes  (or whatever your package says).  When done, fluff and serve.

Cooking Schedule: 40 minutes Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives, medium skillet,  3 small saucepans with lids, blender, 2 small or 1 larger baking dish Turn oven on 400F (200C) Thaw scallops it needed Clean shrimp if needed Clean, chop all shallots, divide Sauté shallot for pepper Sauté shallot for soup Clean pepper, cut Mince garlic Clean, slice mushrooms Open, drain, rinse beans Add beans, stock, herbs to shallots for soup, cook Add pepper, stock, herbs to shallots for pepper, cook Open, drain, chop tomatoes, reserve juice

Prepare baking dish/dishes for scallops Sauté scallops, remove, put in dish Sauté shrimp, remove, put in dish Sauté garlic, shallots, mushrooms for scallops Sauté shallots for quinoa Add tomatoes, paste, herbs, to shallot/mushroom skillet Purée soup, adjusting stock for consistency Pour soup back into pan, keep warm Purée Red Pepper coulis, pour back into pan Add tomato paste to Red Pepper Coulis, stir, heat Add stock, quinoa to shallots, cover, simmer Add vinegar to tomato sauce Spoon sauce over scallops, shrimp Start to bake scallops Serve soup, adding Red Pepper Coulis, relax Done?  Fluff quinoa Remove scallops Serve

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