Eating on the patio
So I have a had a few requests for less content and more pictures. While this post will follow this mantra, not all of them will – so enjoy.
This past Saturday Chris and I had some close friends over – the Nite’s and Gary Marburger and his lovely wife Jessica Lee to celebrate my new employment and do some grilling. I originally intended to do a traditional Italian meal as inspired by our recent honeymoon. But I realized I wanted something more summer-oriented ( and I ate pasta three times last week). Frantically, I searched for a replacement. After reading a few Food & Wine magazines I found my centerpiece – grilled chicken thighs with a roasted garlic and ancho chile sauce. After that decision the other dishes fell into place quickly.
Yummy Grilled Scallops with Honeydew Melon and Avocado Salsa Salad
The first dish was a grilled scallop salad with honeydew melon and avocado salsa. It was originally supposed to be just the scallops with the salsa, but I saw it as a great salad. So as Chris was grilling the scallops I plated six separate servings of spinach, diced cucumbers, feta cheese and then I topped them with the salsa. After the scallops were grilled we plopped them on top and then we served the salad up with a nice Vino Verde. It was superb. A nice, light summer starter. I highly recommend this recipe. The salsa was incredible – not too sweet and a little creamy.
Jessie and Gary Digging into the Main Course
For the main course I stayed with the theme of a nice, light summer meal based on the grill. The roasted garlic-ancho chile chicken was accompanied by grilled corn with a mango-jalapeno butter and saffron rice topped with red pepper, asparagus, peas, celery and artichokes. It was a beautiful meal if I do say so myself.
Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Paella
Unfortunately (or fortunately for myself), we drank a lot of wine that night. Hence there are no picture of our absolutely perfect dessert. There is a family recipe the Nugent’s passed down called a “Magic Pancake.” It is essentially a dutch pancake with lemon zest and powdered sugar. It was one of the first things Chris ever made me and I loved it. The dessert Chris made was similar except he added raspberries, blackberries and topped it with nutmeg and cinnamon-flavored whipped cream. A perfect ending to a perfect evening!
Here is the recipe for the scallops and salsa, minus the salad part. This recipes is taken from Food & Wine Magazine.
Ingredients
- Finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 1/2 pounds honeydew melon, rind removed and melon cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 1/2 cups)
- 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds large sea scallops
Directions
- Light a grill. In a large bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced honeydew melon and avocado. Season the salsa with salt and black pepper.
- Drizzle the scallops with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until nicely charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to plates, spoon the salsa alongside and serve.
