Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops

I can't be the only one trying to figure out what to do with leftover cauliflower. I mean unless you're a family of eight, you must know what I'm talking about. I want to encourage my daughter's love of cauliflower, but have you seen the size of it these days? Is it just me or is it getting bigger? Our modest family of three can't possibly go through all that before it starts turning brown and icky.

This soup certainly isn't the answer every week, but it was damn good last night. I especially enjoyed the sweet scallop in the middle. I love scallops, so it was kind of like the prize in the cracker jacks (better than an Abraham Lincoln fun facts sheet, but not as good as a tattoo).

CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH SEARED SCALLOPS
Makes 6 servings

soup:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped white onion

1 garlic clove, sliced

3 3/4 cups (1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces cauliflower, from 1 large head)

1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

coarse kosher salt

freshly ground white pepper

garnishes:

1 leek (white and pale green parts only), cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds

1 tablespoon canola oil

6 sea scallops, patted dry

2 tablespoons purchased lemon-infused grapeseed oil

finely chopped fresh chives

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Make soup:

1.      Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

2.      Add cauliflower, broth, and cream. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently until cauliflower is tender, about 18 minutes.

3.      Puree soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Season soup with salt and white pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

To serve:

4.      Blanch leek in small saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute; drain. Place some of leek in center of each bowl.

5.      Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over high heat. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Sear until brown and just opaque in center, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Place 1 scallop on leek in each bowl.

6.      Ladle soup around scallop, drizzle with 1 teaspoon lemon oil, and sprinkle with chives.

slightly adapted from Alfred Portale, Gotham Bar and Grill

chopping the onion

sliced garlic (I upped it to 2 cloves)

leftover cauliflower (and that's after we ate it twice with dinner last week)

onions and garlic cooking

cauliflower, broth and cream added

cauliflower tender

blending with the thunderstick

smooth and velvety (it really is)

leek rings

blanching leeks

chives

searing the scallops

leeks in bowl

scallop on top of leeks

cauliflower soup in

The original recipe has caviar on top of the scallop. I tried caviar
only once and didn't like it (of course, who knows, it may have been
horrible caviar), but I still left it off, just in case I still don't like it.

oil drizzled

My grocery store didn't have any lemon infused grape seed oil, so I used
what I had (I zested a lemon and let the zest sit for about 2 hours in extra
virgin olive oil, then strained it). I probably should have used a
no-taste oil, but I didn't think the flavors would clash (and they didn't).

ready

My daughter liked this soup (sans the scallop, oil and chives). Still.

.

Scallops Wrapped in Kataifi

Well, here we are, the last day of Greek week! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (it seems like we just got started and it's already over...sniff, sniff). Oh well, moving on.

Making this was very exciting for me because I've always wanted to try kataifi (pronounced kah-tah-EE-fee according to about.com). What is kataifi? Just shredded filo dough (that resembles a bird's nest when baked). In fact, I've seen people cook little nests of it in muffin tins and then fill them with goodies (a great presentation for candy easter eggs). It's easy to work with (and fun)! 

I thought this dish was scrumptious. The sweet scallops were great with the crunchy kataifi, fresh herbs, buttery/wine sauce and the reduced balsamic. Definitely a nice special occasion recipe for scallop lovers.

SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN KATAIFI

Makes 6 appetizers (1 per person)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

6 extra large sea scallops

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 lb. kataifi (shredded filo dough)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 plum tomato, diced

1/4 cup diced scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

butter sauce:

1 medium shallot, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup white wine

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small bits and chilled

1.      In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the vinegar until syrupy, about 20-30 minutes (don’t over reduce, it will thicken as it cools).

2.      Preheat oven to 450° F. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Wrap each scallop in some of the kataifi filo. Arrange the scallops on a baking sheet and drizzle with the melted butter.

3.      Make the butter sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the shallot, thyme, and wine. Simmer until completely reduced and there is no liquid remaining. Over low heat and whisking constantly, add the butter, a few pieces at a time. Allow the butter to become creamy before adding the next few pieces. Do not boil or the butter will melt and the sauce will become oily. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.

4.      Bake the scallops until just done, about 15 minutes.

5.      To serve, cut each wrapped scallop in half and place in the center of the plate. Spoon the butter sauce over the scallops. Drizzle with some of the reduced balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the tomatoes, scallions and dill around the scallop.

adapted from Gregory Zapantis

scallops

fun!

wrapped
(you can't really go wrong because it's kind of a mess anyway)

before baking

after baking

cut in half, up close

Opa! I looked up the meaning of opa online and according to urbandictionary.com, opa is a word that Greek people use with no meaning at all. So I'm using it now to say "thanks for tuning in to Greek week!" Earlier I used it to say "you've got some kataifi in your teeth!"

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