Joey's Scallops with Jasmine Rice Risotto

So, I've started cooking from my new menu, and the first meal I chose to make is Joey's Scallops with Jasmine Rice Risotto, from Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. Joey was part of Season 3, and during Episode 4, he participated in a Quickfire Challenge that asked him to create an appetizer to pair with a Bombay Sapphire cocktail for Bombay Mixologist, Jamie Walker. The recipe included in the cookbook has been adapted for main course servings, and was reproduced here, as well.

Now this recipe doesn't call for that many ingredients, and while they are a bit more exotic than you may be used to, this dish is SUPER-easy, so don't get overwhelmed.

What you'll need:

1 cup jasmine rice

2 cups coconut milk

8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint, plus more for garnishing

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil, plus more for garnishing

8 sea scallops

salt

cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon peanut oil, for frying

And of course, here's a look at my mise en place:

Did you take a look at those GORGEOUS scallops? So let's get going with the first step, shall we? In a medium dry saucepan over medium heat, lightly toast the rice. Add the coconut milk, stir, and cover. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the rice until creamy, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, then stir in the mushrooms, mango, the 1 tablespoon of mint, and the 1 tablespoon of basil.

I recommend waiting until the risotto is complete, before starting the scallops. They only take 2 minutes per side, and I will warn you, overcooked scallops are TERRIBLE, and you shouldn't eat them. You want to JUST cook them through, no more than that (and I will admit now that I threw away a LOT of scallops before perfecting it, but if you follow the times on the recipe, you should make out okay!)

Season the scallops with salt and cayenne pepper. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the peanut oil. Add the scallops and sear for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.

To serve, place several spoonfuls of rice on each plate and top with scallops. Garnish with mint and basil.

Mmmm, this sure was delicious! And I know you guys can do it too! So, give it a try, and let me know how it goes...and if it doesn't go so great the first time, try again. Perfecting a cooked scallop takes some practice, but oh, it's SO worth it!

Taking Measures

In past posts, I've mentioned that I like to eyeball my seasoning amounts, rather than measuring out each teaspoon...but when it comes to larger amounts, especially for liquid ingredients, I do use measurements provided by recipes to make sure that I get the right consistency in my dishes. Flavors are subjective, but don't jeopardize the consistency and texture.

There are many great ways to make those measurements and I wanted to discuss a few options for you. Pyrex makes a wonderful line of measuring cups that really do last forever. Currently, I have 1-cup, 2-cup, and 4-cup Pyrex measuring cups and that usually covers the bases. These work the best for liquid measures, and can be used to get your mise en place set as well.

  

For dry ingredients, I have a great set of prep bowls with measurement lines, from the Mario Batali line of cookware. These are the bowls that you've seen in my mise en place photos, since the beginning. The set comes with 5 bowls, each with 2 measurements. There are lots of different prep bowl sets out there, so find one that works well for you! You'll be amazed at how easy mise en place becomes!

Other measuring tools include dry measuring cups, which are more like little cups, rather than the pitcher style. Last year, I also found a very cool little item that looks like a shot glass, but has teaspoon and tablespoon measurements marked off on it. It comes in extremely handy for small amounts of oils and vinegars especially. Finally, for measuring teaspoons and tablespoons, there are little sets of pre-marked spoons that allow for 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, teaspoon and tablespoon measurements.

          

Now, get measuring! It's grocery-shopping day here so wish me luck!

Another Important French Term

It seems that the French have a corner on the market of important cooking techniques, and the mirepoix is one of the most important. Have you noticed that many recipes start with an assortment of diced onions, carrots and celery? That's the mirepoix! (pronounced meer-pwah)

Mirepoix for Tomato Sauce

In all its forms, either raw, roasted, or sauteed in butter, this trio is the base for many stocks, stews, and sauces. While this is the most common threesome, other cuisines have their own variations. In Italian culture, it is known as soffritto, and involves olive oil (instead of butter), as well as garlic, fennel, leek and herbs. In Creole cuisine, it is known as the Holy Trinity, and uses onion, bell pepper and celery.

The reason for the use of onions, carrots and celery (usually in a 50%, 25%, 25% ratio respectively) is the flavor and aroma that these three ingredients add to a dish. When chopping, there's not much need for uniformity among your cuts, since the vegetables cook down so much during the process. They get extremely soft and almost melt into the surrounding ingredients, adding body and thickness to the stew, soup or sauce. The smaller the dice, the quicker the aromas and flavors are released. In the event that you are looking to make a "white" stock (stock that has little to no color to it), substitutions for the carrots include parsnips and/or mushroom trimmings.

Roughly chopped mirepoix (Wikipedia)

I keep these three ingredients on hand at all times, and they usually have a starring role on my grocery lists as well. So many things start with this threesome, its just easier to always make sure you have enough on hand. Even if you don't have a recipe to go on, it's the base for basic marinara sauces, as well as most soups and stocks, so even if you are throwing something together during that "clean out the fridge" week, it is best to have them on hand!

Fun Fact: In French restaurants, mirepoix is an important item in every line cook's "mise en place" (the prepared food items at their cooking stations that save them the trouble of making each tiny part of a recipe every time an order comes in). Read more at Suite101: Mirepoix: A combination of onion, carrot and celery 

The Importance of Multiple Cutting Boards

When you start your mise en place, it is imperative that you have a different cutting board for meats and vegetables. There are numerous ways to accomplish this, but you MUST make sure you do it. Meats carry a lot of bacteria before they are cooked, and even if everything is eventually going into the same pot, vegetables can still be contaminated with that bacteria prior to being cooked. For this reason, I make sure to take out a cutting board for each type of ingredient I will be prepping, before I even start. You can do this with color-coded boards, which are sometimes sold in packs.


Alternatively, there are some very cute sets that even have little pictures on them. I have a set of 4, from Sur La Table, with pictures of a fish, a cow, a chicken, and a carrot on them. This set is similar to the one I have: Cutting Boards. These are only $16 and that is a small price to pay for keeping you and your loved ones healthy when you cook. 




This goes for knives as well. I have two favorite knives, so I tend to wash them if I need to cut more than one type of meat, but normally, I've got one set aside for my protein, and the other will prep the veggies and other ingredients. As long as you wash your knife with soap in between ingredients, you don't really need to have more than one. 


Raw chicken can carry Campylobacter, as well as Salmonella, the leading cause of food borne illness. Raw beef can also carry Salmonella and Campylobacter, in addition to Listeria Monocytogenes and Staphylococcus Aureus. Raw fish can carry Anisakis Simplex (or Herring Worm), and Vibrio Species. Now let me clarify - don't stop eating these proteins because of this information. These bacteria can be spread through the improper cleaning and care of raw meats. That's why, if you decide to try making sushi at home, ALWAYS make sure that you are buying sushi-grade fish. This way, you are assured that the fish was handled properly for raw consumption. This is the case with beef too - you CAN eat it raw, as long as it's prepared appropriately. On the other hand, you can NEVER eat chicken raw...don't even contemplate it. 


Finally, I'd like to give an example of a more complicated meal, just to give you an idea of how careful you need to be. Let's say you are cooking an Asian stirfry, with beef, shrimp, chicken and veggies. You need 4 cutting boards for this meal, to be on the safe side. You'll also either need 4 knives, or a sponge and dish soap, to wash the knife in between ingredients. 


Healthy and safe cooking to you all, and to all a good night! 

The Beginning

Well, here we are. I'm going to try my hand at this thing called "blogging." I want to share my wisdom, but that sounds cocky, I don't mean it that way. I've picked up so many things along the way, and taught myself so many little time-saving tips, I feel like I should pass all those nuggets of wisdom along to those at home who think they have to go to a fancy restaurant to get a good meal. You don't have to spend a fortune to eat well...although, I'm not going to lie, I love a good fancy meal once in awhile...or more often! ::wink wink::

I cook almost every night...and I always make something different. We enjoy a good meal at the end of a hard-worked day. All it takes is a bit of diligence, some great techniques up your sleeve, and fresh ingredients ... and maybe a few recipes. I talk to friends, and they can't believe that I cook every night, they can't understand where I find the time, or the patience...but really, it's just part of my routine, and it can be part of yours too.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? The reason for the title of this blog...Mise en place. It literally means "putting in place," in French. It's what we do before we start cooking. When we look at a recipe, there's a list of ingredients, with measurements of how much we'll need. It's important to prep all this stuff before we start throwing things in a pan. How can we follow a recipe's instructions if we're trying to cut stuff up, stir, sear, broil and mash all at the same time? I think that mise en place is an appropriate name for a blog that's going to put people on the right track to cooking at home...and enjoying it. It may take some time upfront, prepping all those ingredients, but in the long run, it's one of the best ways to assure a well-cooked, well-seasoned meal. I usually end up filling up a bunch of little bowls with ingredients...it may make more dishes for later, but then again, if you're cooking, the one eating your food should be doing those dishes! :)

Come with me on this journey through the world of food. I'm going to try new techniques, recipes, and ingredients. I'll go into tried and true methods, and answer questions that readers want more information about...even if it means doing some research myself to find the accurate answer. I'll provide videos, reviews, and commentary on television shows (who's watching Top Chef?)...I'd love to get to know you guys along the way!