Jamie Oliver's Seared ScallopsNovember 25, 2003 How do you know when you are cooking your last barbecue for the summer? Unfortunately, unless you are immediately heading off post-prandially on a grand holiday to avoid the oncoming winter, you don't. Which is why last Sunday found me on the end of numerous brushes and bits of steel wool, ridding the barbecue plate and grill of all evidence of last summer's meals. Some spray-on oven cleaner made the job a little easier, but not much. No real substitute for elbow grease. However, the deed has now been accomplished and I feel I can safely eat anything cooked on the barbecue now that the remains of dinners past have been scraped and scrubbed away. While men are very enthusiastic in charge of the barbecue tongs, they never seem to be around during preparation or clean-up activities. While I was toiling away, defrosting the freezer and getting rid of the toxic waste on the barbecue, The Spouse was bowling his way into the finals of some club championship. He returned home triumphant‚Ķ and enthusiastic about the wonderful rolls he had taken along for his lunch. "What did you put in them?‚" I asked. "That ham stuff you bought for me.‚" The "ham stuff‚" turned out to be the second half of a rather expensive packet of imported Italian prosciutto I had bought for today's recipe. I'd rationed out some to have with our scallops and was browsing the recipe books in search of another recipe for the remainder. Alas I wasn't quick enough and obviously The Spouse enjoyed his expensive treat from Italy. As he peeled the wafer thin $2.50 a shot slices from the plastic dividers, I wonder if it occurred to him that ordinary old shaved ham was never so lovingly packaged. Sometimes men aren't very observant. Because prosciutto is expensive, some thinly sliced streaky bacon could be used as an alternative. The cooked prosciutto is, however, light, crisp and a perfect accompaniment. Canned cannellini beans are readily available locally at Mediterranean stockists - and cheap and make a wonderfully base for the scallops and a contrast in texture. This is another successful recipe from young Brit chef Jamie Oliver. His recipes always have an interesting mix of flavours, are easy to follow and produce impressive results. If all the ingredients are assembled at the beginning, cooking the dish requires little effort. Jamie Oliver's Seared Scallops and Crispy
Prosciutto with Roasted Tomatoes and Smashed White Beans
Preheat the oven to 240 degrees C. Season the tomatoes and sprinkle with the oregano. Drizzle with olive oil and roast, skin side down for about 10-15 minutes. Place the prosciutto slices beside the tomatoes and continue to roast for a further 10 minutes until the tomatoes are juicy and the prosciutto is crisp. In a pan fry the garlic, chillies and anchovies in a lug of olive oil for a minute or so. Add your beans and cook for a minute or so before adding a wine glass of water. Bring to the boil then lightly mash to a coarse puree. Loosen the puree with a little more water if need be. Finish the flavour off with some peppery extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Season the scallops then sear them in a frying pan with a touch of olive oil for two minutes without touching them. Check and continue to fry until they have a lovely sweet caramelised skin. Turn them over and allow the other side to do the same. Don't overcook them. Remove to a bowl and coat with a little olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Put some smashed bean puree on each plate, scatter over the tomatoes, prosciutto and scallops and finish off with some peppery leaves. Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing 2 tablespoons lemon juice Recipe © Jamie Oliver, picture © Pat Churchill
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large ripe plum tomatoes, quartered Email | ©2008 Churchill Communications