Cook Like a Rock Star (15 page)

FOR THE CHICKPEA FRIES

1
Put 2 cups water in a small saucepan, salt well, and bring to a boil (BTB) over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, whisk in the chickpea flour, and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Toss in the cumin, cayenne, and crushed chickpeas. When it’s done, the mixture will be thick like mashed potatoes, about 15 minutes. Taste it—it should be REALLY good; if it isn’t, reseason.

2
Spread the mixture out in a lightly oiled 9-inch baking dish and chill until fully set, at least an hour (this can be done in advance).

3
Cut the chilled mix into thick sticks, ¾ to 1 inch wide. Coat a nonstick sauté pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. While the oil heats, set up your drying situation next to the stove by putting a couple layers of paper towels on a baking sheet. Working in batches, cook the fries on all sides until golden and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and drain on the paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in a low oven.

FOR THE SALAD

1
Preheat a grill.

2
In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with olive oil to coat and season with salt.

3
Put the zucchini, onion, arugula, and pine nuts in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and make sure it tastes delicious!

4
Grill the shrimp, turning once, until no longer translucent, 4 to 6 minutes total.

5
Arrange the salad on serving plates and top each with a couple of chickpea fries and 2 shrimp.

Chickpea-sy!

When you go to a fish store you might see numbers next to the shrimp. These numbers correlate to how many shrimp are in a pound (for example, 12/15 means there are between twelve and fifteen shrimp in a pound). The bigger the number, the more shrimp per pound; the smaller the number, the bigger the shrimp! For this recipe I recommend really big shrimp.

Grilled Sea Scallops with a Watermelon Three-Way & Dandelion Greens

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS, MOSTLY UNATTENDED

I don’t think there’s anything terribly exciting about grilled scallops—but I do think you can put them together with interesting ingredients and make them exciting. That’s why I pair scallops with—wait for it—watermelon! I know, who would think of putting scallops with watermelon, let alone three kinds (watermelon, watermelon rind pickles, and watermelon radishes)? It may seem wacky, but the sweetness of the watermelon offset by the bitterness of the dandelion and the sharp red onion makes this a spectacular combo.

And, if you’re thinking ahead (like we always try to do!), make the pickles a day (or a week) in advance and keep them in the fridge. These pickles make anything taste tangy and delicious; I keep a jar on hand for whenever a salad or sammie needs an extra little pickle-y punch!

MISE EN PLACE

1-pound wedge watermelon

1 cup champagne or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Pinch of crushed red pepper

8 large sea scallops

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 watermelon radish (about the size of a kiwi), peeled and julienned

1 cup dandelion greens, cut into ½-inch-wide ribbons

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

1
Carefully cut the rind off the watermelon. Using a mandoline or a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the rind into wide ribbons about ⅛ inch thick. In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper. Add the watermelon rind ribbons and let stand at room temperature for at least an hour (BTW—this can totally be done yesterday).

2
Meanwhile, dice the watermelon flesh into ½-inch pieces and reserve.

3
When the watermelon pickles are done, heat the grill.

4
Brush the scallops with olive oil and season with salt. Place on the grill and cook until grill marks appear, about 1 minute, then rotate the scallops 90 degrees and let the grill marks develop in the other direction (what you’re going for here are those lovely crosshatch grill marks!). Turn the scallops over and repeat; the scallops are done when they’re no longer translucent, about 2 minutes each side.

5
While the scallops cook, drain the rind pickles, reserving their liquid. Toss the reserved watermelon, the rind pickles, watermelon radish, dandelion greens, and red onion together in a large bowl. Dress the salad with 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid and some olive oil. TASTE! Adjust seasonings and dressing if needed.

6
Arrange the deliciously dressed salad in a tall pile just off the center of four salad plates. Cut the scallops equatorially (through the middle, like the equator) and lay the disks slightly overlapping, grilled side up, on the salad. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Nice melons!

Grilled Soft-Shell Crabs with Asparagus, Arugula & Spring Onion Salad with Aïoli

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES

When soft-shell crabs are in season, it’s the one time of year I like being crabby! I adore these guys perched on a delicious veggie salad with garlic mayo. The beauty of the soft-shell crab is you can eat the whole shootin’ match—on a salad, in a sandwich, however. Who says being crabby isn’t fun?

MISE EN PLACE

FOR THE AÏOLI

2 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher salt

1½ cups peanut or other neutral-flavored oil

FOR THE CRABS AND SALAD

4 soft-shell crabs

1 bunch of pencil or standard asparagus, tough bottom stems removed

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

2 cups baby arugula

2 spring onions, julienned

1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons big fat finishing oil

FOR THE AÏOLI

Combine the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt in the bowl of a food processor and purée until the mixture is homogeneous. Then, with the machine running, VERY slowly drizzle in the oil until it begins to thicken. When the mixture starts to look like mayonnaise, add the oil in a thin, slow stream. Check the aïoli for texture and flavor: If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it; or on the flip side if it’s too thin, add more oil. (This will make more than you need for this dish, so refrigerate the rest and use it on other good stuff, like these
chickpea fries
.

FOR THE CRABS AND SALAD

1
Preheat the grill.

2
Clean the crabs by lifting up the outer shell on each side and pulling out the gills. Then pull the “apron” flap off the bottom of the crab. Using a sharp pair of scissors or kitchen shears, cut off the face and all the pointy parts of the shell. (I know this may seem mean; accept it and move on.) Pat the crabs with paper towels to remove all excess water.

3
In a large bowl, toss the asparagus with olive oil and salt. Rub the crabs with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Put the asparagus on the grill and cook, turning it occasionally, until charred and pliable, 7 to 8 minutes. Then put the crabs on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until firm. Remove the asparagus and crabs when done and set aside.

4
In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, spring onions, vinegar, and big fat finishing oil; season with salt and taste to make sure it’s delicious.

5
Divide the dressed salad and asparagus between serving plates, top each with a soft-shell crab, and garnish each crab with a dollop of the delightful aïoli.

Got soft-shell crabs?!?

Soft-shell crabs usually have a lot of water in them. Be sure to pat them dry with paper towels to squeeze out any excess water before cooking.

SERVES: 6 TO 8 • TIME: ABOUT 3 HOURS, NOT INCLUDING SOAKING TIME