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white bean radish salad
White Bean (Cannellini) and Radish Salad

scallops in pesto
Sautéed Scallops with Pesto

couscous salad
Couscous Salad

fried asparagus
Sautéed Asparagus with Chives

Menu Plan for the week of May 17, 2013: Friday's Recipes

White Bean and Radish Salad
Sautéed Scallops with Pesto
Couscous Salad
Sautéed Asparagus with Chives

Cooking time:  35 minutes for menu          Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

   An easy meal to finish the week and start the weekend. We're not using the barbecue - but it's still 'summer cooking'. If you don't have bacon, use a bit of the ham, fried until it's crisp. 

White Bean (Cannellini) and Radish Salad       Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes
    Radishes are so plentiful in the spring, and/or easy to grow your own.  The beans and vinaigrette tone down the heat, letting their flavor shine.

15oz (450gr) white beans (cannellini)
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1 tbs freshly snipped chives   substitute 1 tsp dried
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hard boiled egg
lettuce or spinach leaves, a few for serving
Vinaigrette
1 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs snipped fresh chives    substitute 1 tsp dried
1 clove garlic
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
3 tbs salad olive oil 

Boil egg (see techniques). 
Drain, rinse beans and put in a medium bowl.  Slice radishes, mince garlic, snip chives and add all to beans.
Add vinaigrette and toss gently. 
When eggs are cooked, peel and chop coarsely.  Add to bean salad and mix lightly.  Arrange 3 - 4 nice lettuce leaves on salad plates, put bean salad on top and serve.
Vinaigrette:
Mince garlic, snip chives and put in medium bowl with vinegar, lemon juice and mustard.  Whisk well.  Slowly add oil whisking constantly.  It should incorporate as you add it.  If it does not, stop adding oil for a few moments and just whisk.  Continue until all oil is added.  Add salt and pepper if desired.

Sautéed Scallops with Pesto                               Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes
     These scallops are finished with a light, pesto-sherry sauce. A bit of crisp bacon rounds out the flavors and marries well with the sweet scallops. Scallops release a lot of liquid when cooked, so be careful not to crowd. 

12oz (350gr) scallops
2oz (60gr) bacon   2 - 3 strips
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs sherry
3 tbs pesto

Rinse scallops and pat dry.  Cut bacon into matchsticks.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add bacon and fry until crisp.  Remove bacon.  Add scallops and quickly sauté, turning once, until opaque. If there is a lot of liquid from the scallops, drain (a bit is okay).  Reduce heat to low and add sherry, stirring to get up any browned bits.  Remove from heat and stir in pesto.  Add bacon, stir to combine and serve.

Couscous Salad                                                          Preparation and cooking time:  15 minutes
    Couscous does not have to be dry and boring.  It also doesn't need cooking which makes it the perfect fast food.  Heat the stock, do a bit of chopping and you're done! Plus it's a dish that can help clean out the fridge.

1/2 cup couscous
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup (2oz, 60gr) cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fennel
2 tbs snipped chives
2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
1 tbs salad olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon-style mustard

Cut tomatoes in half. Chop fennel.  Heat chicken broth to a boil.  Put couscous in a medium bowl.  When broth is boiling pour over couscous, cover and let stand for 10 minutes... Do not stir it. 
When couscous is done, add chives, tomatoes, fennel and fluff gently with a fork to combine. 
Put the vinegar, mustard and oil in a small bowl.  Whisk well and stir into couscous. Serve.

Sautéed Asparagus with Chives                Preparation and cooking time:  15 minutes
    Asparagus is one of the long awaited signs of spring.  Most often steamed, occasionally roasted or grilled, I have discovered simple frying to be quick, and leave the asparagus a beautiful green color and full of flavor.

8oz (250gr) asparagus  as many spears as you want
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh snipped chives
sea salt

Snap off ends of asparagus.  If white use vegetable peeler and peel the bottom half of stalk.  Heat oil in a nonstick skillet just big enough to easily hold the asparagus without cutting.  Add asparagus and sauté over medium heat until they start to brown and blister, 8 - 10 minutes.   Sprinkle with salt and chives, roll around to coat, remove and serve.

Cooking Schedule: 30 minutes for menu
Assemble all ingredients and utensils
Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives,
scissors, small bowl (used 2 X) whisk, 2 medium bowls,
medium lid, 2 small saucepans, one lid, 2 large skillets

Cook eggs
Trim asparagus
Snip chives, divide
Open, drain, rinse, drain beans, put in bowl
Slice radishes, add to beans
Add some chives to beans
Mince garlic, divide, add half to beans
Chop fennel
Cut cherry tomatoes
Make vinaigrette for beans, add to beans, stir
Mind the eggs
Prepare lettuce
Heat stock for couscous
Make vinaigrette for couscous, set aside

Sauté bacon (or ham)
Eggs done?  Cool in cold water
Peel eggs, chop, add to salad
Arrange lettuce on plates
Add Bean Radish Salad
Remove bacon from skillet, remove skillet from heat
Sauté asparagus, low heat
Pour stock over couscous, cover
Serve salad, relax, enjoy....
Done?
Return skillet to medium high heat for scallops
Turn asparagus, increase heat
Sauté scallops
Finish couscous
Turn scallops
Finish asparagus
Add sherry to scallops, stir
Remove from heat, add pesto, bacon
Serve

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