SCALLOPS WITH FLAVORED ARTICHOKES AND ROASTED PARSNIPS
Scallops can be served with plenty of different veggies, since their flavor is quite delicate and fits with many other flavors. I think that the more additional flavors you add to the scallop dish the better the overall effect will be, because scallops need the complementary flavors. Here, we not only make the artichokes infuse in an aromatic liquid, we also add sweet roasted parsnips (instead of potatoes). A very good appetizer, that you can also make into a main course if you bulk it up.
4 servings:
Scallops:
8 medium scallops, nuts horizontally cut into two halves
salt, pepper
Artichokes:
4 big artichokes (or 8 medium)
lemon juice
60 mL/2 fl oz olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 celery stick, sliced
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
100 mL/3.3 fl oz white wine
300 mL/10 fl oz vegetable or chicken stock
For the sauce:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
5 cloves
60 mL/2 fl oz cream
50 g/1.7 oz butter
Parsnips:
4 parsnips, sliced into long sticks
salt, pepper
50 g/1.7 oz butter
100 g/3.3 oz spinach
1. Trim the artichokes (look on our HOW TO pages to learn how) and rub them in lemon juice so they don't get brown. In a saucepan, sweat the carrots, shallots, garlic and celery in olive oil, on moderate heat, for 3 minutes. Then add the artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients, heat up and simmer until the artichokes are so tender that you can stick your knife through them without much resistance (should take about 30 minutes). Then, remove the artichokes and set aside. Keep warm.
2. To make the sauce, add the cumin, curry and cloves to the artichoke cooking liquid, and reduce on heat until you get a small volume of liquid that just coats the bottom of the pan. Add cream and reduce again so the sauce becomes thick. Then add butter and stir, keep warm.
3. In another pan, roast the parsnips in butter, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Keep warm while you throw trow the spinach into the pan and get it wilted. Remove from heat and keep warm. Then in a clean nonstick pan, fry the seasoned scallops for 30 seconds on each side. Arrange everything on a plate and serve at once.