Seared scallops with basil risotto

Active: 1 hour; Serves: 4

Pineapple juice	2 cups
Vegetable broth	1 ½ cups
Butter, unsalted	3 tablespoons
Onions, yellow, minced	1/3 cup
Garlic, minced	1 tablespoon
Rice, arborio, uncooked	1 ¼ cups
Parmesan, freshly grated	3/4 cups
Salt	½ teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon +
Basil, fresh, minced	3 tablespoons
Sea scallops	1 pound
Vegetable oil	2 tablespoons +
Microgreens	½ cup

1. Combine the juice and broth in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. 
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover with a lid and remove from the heat. 
3. Heat the butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. 
4. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 
6. Add a ladle of the hot juice mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed. 
7. Continue adding the hot liquid to the saucepan, one ladle at a time and stirring intermittently, until the rice is no longer crunch, about 30 minutes. 
8. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper, then turn off the heat and stir in the basil; set aside, covered, while you cook the scallops. 
9. Pat the scallops dry, then season with salt and pepper. 
10. Heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. 
11. Once the oil is hot, add half of the scallops and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. 
12. Flip the scallops once, then tilt the skillet and baste them with the oil. 
13. Continue cooking the scallops an additional 1 minute, until no longer translucent. 
14. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining scallops, adding more oil as needed. 
15. Divide the risotto among serving plates and top with the scallops. 
16. Garnish with the microgreens and serve. 

Recipe from The Secret Ingredient Cookbook, July 2021.

Irish fish pie

Active: 45 minutes; Total: 1 hour 30 minutes; Serves: 4 to 6

Sweet potatoes, orange-flesh, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes	1 ½ pounds
Cod, fresh, cut into 1-inch pieces	½ pound
Shrimp, large, shelled & deveined	½ pound
Bay scallops, picked for shell bits, remove tough band of muscle adhered to one side of each scallop	½ pound
Butter, unsalted, room temperature	2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons
Onion, finely chopped	1 small
Milk, whole	2 cups
Bay leaves	2
Thyme, fresh	2 sprigs
Salt, fine sea	½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	½ teaspoon +
Flour, all-purpose	2 tablespoons
Chives, fresh, chopped	¼ cup

1. Add the potatoes to a large saucepan, add cool water to cover by 1 inch; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the potatoes are fully tender, about 15 minutes; drain. 
3. Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher; set aside 2 cups, reserve any remaining for another use. 
4. Preheat your oven to 375°F. 
5. Melt 2-tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
6. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. 
7. Pour the milk into the pan, and add the bay leaves and thyme. 
8. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. 
9. Stir in ½-teaspoon salt. 
10. Poach each type of seafood individually; place the cod in the simmering milk and cook until the fish is nearly cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. 
11. Lift the cod from the milk with a slotted spoon, and place in a 2- to 3-quart casserole dish. 
12. Add the scallops to the milk, and poach until opaque, about 30 seconds. 
13. Lift from the milk with a slotted spoon, and add to the dish with the fish. 
14. Add the shrimp, and poach until they just begin to curl, about 1 minute. 
15. Lift them from the milk with a slotted spoon, and add to the dish. 
16. Use your hands or fork to flake cod into bite-sized pieces. 
17. Season with ½-teaspoon salt and ½-teaspoon pepper. 
18. In a small bowl, mash 2-tablespoons butter with the flour. 
19. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the milk. 
20. Bring the milk to a simmer once again, and whisk the butter mixture into the until no lumps remain. 
21. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. 
22. Pour béchamel over the seafood in the casserole dish. 
23. Add the chives, and fold gently to combine everything. 
24. Taste the filling and adjust seasonings, if needed. 
25. Reheat 2-cups potatoes in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a pot, stirring until warm. 
26. Stir in the remaining 2-tablespoons butter until it melts, and season lightly with salt. 
27. Pipe or spread the puree over the filling, sealing the edges. 
28. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is browned, about 20 minutes. 
29. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Holiday Recipes.

Scallops with tangerines, fennel & pistachios

Fennel bulbs, thinly sliced	2 small
Tangerines, peeled, segmented, pith & skin discarded	2
Tangerine juice	6 tablespoons
Oil, extra-virgin olive	¼ cup + ½ cup
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Sea scallops, fresh	10
Fennel seeds, ground	1 teaspoon
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons
Capers in brine, drained, patted dry	2 tablespoons
Olives, green, sliced	¼ cup
Pistachios, roasted, unsalted, coarsely chopped	¼ cup

1. In a large bowl, soak the fennel in iced water. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the juice and ¼ cup oil; season with salt and pepper. 
3. Drain the fennel, and blog dry; add to the dressing, and toss to coat. 
4. Mound the salad on plates. 
5. Season the scallops with salt and pepper; rub with ground fennel seed. 
6. In a large skillet, heat ½ cup oil until shimmering over high heat. 
7. Add the scallops and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. 
8. Add the butter and capers to the skillet, and then turn the scallops over and cook until white through out, about 2 minutes. 
9. Set the scallops on the fennel salad. 
10. With a slotted spoon, strain out the capers and scatter over the salad with the tangerine segments, olives and pistachios. 

Recipe adapted from Food&Wine.com.