Daring Cooks Challenge July 2012: Cooking "En Papillote"

I am taking a short break from my dinner party to update you on other news and share a fun recipe that I made for dinner on a random Tuesday night!  It is a good time to take a break as I just shared the main course: Boeuf Bourguignon.  At this poing in our meal, we were all so stuffed that we actually took a break and spent quite a bit of time chatting and trying to feel less full so that we could enjoy dessert. The recipe I'm sharing today, was inspired by watching the Food Network (while working out...yes I get hungry) and the July Daring Cook's Challenge!

In other food news, this weekend is the Taste of Chicago and last night me, Bri, Michael, and Maddie headed downtown to partake in all the delicious fun.  It was raining while we were on the train, but by the time we got to the Taste it cleared up and became a lovely night.  The taste was a little smaller this year, but still absolutely fantastic!

This month's challenge was brought to us by Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie.  The challenge was to cook something "En Papillote" which means to cook in parchment.  Sarah shared with us some history and information on this type of cooking.  It is great because you don't need fats to cook the food since the parchment allows the foods to steam.  Plus, when you undo the parchment you get a very exciting rush of steam that smells so yummy.

One of the recipes that Sarah shared was a pasta recipe with scallops.  Then, while watching the Food Network I saw the Barefoot Contessa make a great pasta dish with shrimp.  I decided to go the scallops route, but to use some of the flavors that the Barefoot Contessa used.  And so, I give you, Lemon Pasta with Seared Scallops.

Lemon Pasta with Seared Scallops Cooked "En Papillote"

Ingredients:
12 oz whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 1/2 lbs. bay scallops
2 lemons
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
dash of red pepper flakes
shredded parmesan for serving

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Drain and set aside.
3. In a large skillet pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the garlic for about 2 minutes.  Add in the scallops and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Mix in the pepper, parsley, and red pepper flakes.  Zest half of a lemon and add in the lemon zest.  Squeeze out the juice from 1 1/2 of the lemons into your scallops. With the remaining 1/2 lemon, slice two thin slices and add those to the scallop dish.  Squeeze out the remaining juice into the mixture and stir.  Mix the scallops into the drained pasta.
4. Place parchment paper on a baking dish.  Pour out the pasta mixture onto the parchment and wrap the parchment around the pasta by pulling up the corners and tying with a string.  Place the parchment wrapped pasta in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Serve with shredded parmesan on top.

The Taste of Chicago

Enjoy :)

Challenges and Pan Seared Scallops

I think that this post is all about challenges.

I have faced quite a few at this point. There are the obvious challenges or the things that are expected to be challenging such as homework or other assignments.  Right now, I have to create a 3 week unit lesson plan for a math class.  This isn't too terrible, but the thing is, the unit has to be about a book.  The book is about girls with eating disorders and other challenges that some teenagers face.  The unit has to address these themes as well as math goals.  This is a challenge.  My group and I really had to stretch our imaginations and get creative to make this happen.  This assignment has been especially stressful because of how impractical it seems.  While it would be super cool to address all sorts of issues in all different subject areas, sometimes it is just not genuine.  I guess at this point in my teacher-prep program, I am wondering if what I am learning is actually going to help me when I am in a real school with real students.

Then, there are also the challenges that sneak up on you.  The things that you don't expect to be challenging, but all of sudden stress you out and make your life super difficult.  I feel as though these are the challenges that cause you to question who you are and what your purpose is.  Last night, I had dinner with my friend Max and we debated many different issues, namely education in this country.  Why are there so many problems?  We fumed over paying too much for college and alienating certain people from the college experience.  We talked about grading and why we actually grade the way we do.  We discussed honors and AP classes and why they exist.  Why can't every class be honors?  Why do we even have those labels?  All these questions don't have answers.  It made me wonder what I can actually do as a teacher.  I feel as though I have all these thoughts and all these ideas for being the best teacher and really inspiring kids to do the most that they can with their lives, but there are so many obstacles.  It is wildly frustrating to think that this is what I am going to be dealing with forever and I found myself wondering what I can do and what I should do.  Again, there does not seem to be a concrete answer.

My current education experience has taught me to be a critical thinker and be an inspiring reformer, but it has also showed me what I am up against.  I know that other teachers out there are dealing with the same feelings and frustrations.  I wonder how many are able to actually motivate change.  I wonder how many get so frustrated that they give up.  I wonder how I will be.

I think that all we can do right now, is do what we feel is right.  We can't sit back and take the easy way out; we have to constantly try to improve.  I know that for myself, I am going to need all the support I can get.  What I mean by this, is that I am going to need to surround myself with people who care about me and activities that I love.  When I am with my family and friends and when I am engaging in activities that make me feel happy, I am better able to remember who I am and who I want to be.

Cooking and baking are ways that I remember who I am and how to be happy.  In this long, vague, and possibly boring post, I bring you a new recipe that was also a challenge.  I apologize if this post is dense or confusing, but I think it is something that I needed to write for me.  Hopefully, if you were not entertained, you skimmed through to this part and just checked out the recipe.  It is a good one, I promise.

I was craving a challenge in my cooking life: scallops.  I had heard they were difficult because they are hard to get just right.  I don't think mine were perfect, but they were super tasty and it was a good experience.  Cooking scallops made me nervous and excited and it was really fun! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Sesame Seared Scallops with Brown Rice Noodles (adapted from the Food Network)

Ingredients:

8 oz brown rice noodles

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. bay scallops

pepper

1 package mini wanton cups (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice noodles according to directions.  Strain and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes.

3. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the scallops, season with the pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.  Flip the scallops and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add the soy sauce mixture and cook until the scallops turn opaque and the sauce thickens, about another 3-4 minutes.

4.  Serve in the mini wanton cups with the noodles, or just with the noodles.

Enjoy :)