A Fat You Can Love

One of my favorite non-fruity fruits is the avocado. And you can do a lot more with it than make gaucamole.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up some gorgeous "dry" sea scallops at Wegman's in Cherry Hill (because they were on sale for $11.99/pound, about three bucks cheaper than usual, and decided to use them with Hass avocado (as opposed to the Caribbean version, sometimes called a Florida avocado or Flavocado).

Avocados are high in fat, so they are hardly a low calorie food. But its fat is largely monosaturated, like olive oil, so other than the calories it provides excellent nutrition.

I decided to do a classic summer dish that requires no cooking: ceviche.

I quartered the large scallops (one-quarter pound) and let them marinate for half an hour (no more, and you'll get mush) in the juice of two limes. I cut up some scallions (though just about any allium will do), chopped some cilantro, diced a couple tablespoons' worth of red bell pepper. I prepped the small, ripe avocado and cut it into small slices. The scallops and veggies were mixed together with some everything lime zest, salt (use kosher or, if you have it, Maldon salt for crunch), and a sprinkling of cayenne powder.

This recipe serves one. Simply multiply for additional servings.

A few words about scallops:

"Dry" scallops are worth the extra money you'll pay versus the normal or "wet" scallop. The latter are mixed with an additive encourages the scallop to retain water; this means the boat can stay at sea longer and the scallop has a longer shelf life. But it also means you're paying for the water, which not only dilutes the flavor but makes them impossible to sauté to obtain browning if you're pan frying or grilling. The "dry" scallops cost more because they contain less water; it also means that they are always fresher than the "wet" scallop and more flavorful. This is a case where spending more gets you more.

All scallops, wet or dry, usually come with a tough tendon attached to the side. No harm in eating it, but it's more elegant to trim it off before preparing any scallop recipe.

Another Chickpea Experiment

With my stock of chickpeas replenished, and a surplus of veggies in the fridge's bin, I came up with a tasty ragout for dinner last night.

Started out by briefly sauteeing three fresh wild garlic heads in a minimum of olive oil. (The fresh garlic came courtesy of forager extraordinaire Sam Consylman, who was selling them at Livengood's stall at the South & Passyunik market Tuesday afternoon.) After the sliced garlic turned translucent over medium heat I added two small zucchini cut in fork-sized chunks (purchased from Rineer's at Rittenhouse Market Saturday), turned up the heat a notch, and cooked until they turned slightly brown. At that point I added half a medium diced yellow bell pepper; after another minute half a chopped hothouse tomato (seeded), a quarter cup of water (how much water to add is a judgment call, based on the choice and state of the veggies), seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano) and three-quarters cup of cooked, drained chickpeas went into the mix. Heat reduced to medium-low, covered, and cooked for about 10 minutes or so until thoroughly heated. I uncovered and turned the heat to high to drive off most, but not all, of the remaining liquid.

Served in a soup bowl, it was quite filling, tasty and satisfying.

It's an infinitely variable recipe depending upon the vegetables available and the herbs and spices to which you are partial. As the summer harvest progresses I'll be trying it again with other veggies.