serves 4-6
For the sauce
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1 large white onion, chopped
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6 large garlic cloves
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½ cup of vegetable oil
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½ a teaspoon ground cumin
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1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
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1.5 pounds tomatillos, husk removed cleaned and chopped
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4 serranos, cleaned and stems removed
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2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
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3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, hulled and toasted+¼ cup to garnish (optional)
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¼ cup sesame seeds, raw
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½ cup packed epazote or Italian parsley, cleaned and chopped
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1 cup packed of cilantro, cleaned and, chopped green stems are ok
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2 cups green leaf lettuce, clean, dry, and cut into large pieces
For the Scallops
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4 tablespoons olive oil
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18 large sea scallops (1.5 to 2 pounds)
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1 tablespoon of minced garlic
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1 bunch of swiss chard or spinach (4 cups)
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fine sea salt
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pepper, freshly ground
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¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish
Once cooled- in a blender working in small batches, puree the sauce until very smooth, and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
Serve immediately over your sauteed scallops. Let the leftover sauce cool down and refrigerate for up to five days, or place cooled sauce in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
*if you place a ziplock bag with a liquid-like a sauce or broth in the freezer flat on a sheet pan, once it’s frozen, you can stack them upright and they will take up much less space in your freezer!
FOR THE SCALLOPS AND GREENS
To clean the chard, remove the trunk of the chard and soak all of the leafy parts in cold water, pull out of the water (so the sand stays in the bottom), and place in a salad spinner to dry out, roughly chop and set aside. Chop the trunks into small pieces to add texture to your chard.
Pull the muscles off the scallops and discard.
Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat, let it get hot almost smokey, working in batches, place the scallops on one side, sear to a deep brown. The edges will start to “peel” off the pan (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer the scallops to a serving platter.
Lower the heat to medium and add the rest of the olive oil, and the garlic and chopped chard trunks and saute. As soon as the garlic gets a little color, add the chard and saute until it wilts. (2-3 minutes).
Turn the heat off and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Transfer to the greens to a serving platter along with the scallops, and drizzle with the hot mole Verde. Garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds, and serve immediately with warm cauliflower flan.
FOR THE MOLE VERDE
In a heavy medium-size saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Once the pan and oil are warm, but not smoking, add the onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned and caramelized. (about 7-10 minutes)
Add to the pan, tomatillos, serranos, cumin, and salt. Sautee for 5-6 minutes.
Add the stock, and let it boil softly until the tomatillos are completely soft. (about 8-10 minutes)
Add the pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds and let them cook until all of the ingredients melt together. (3-4 more minutes)
Turn the heat to low and add the epazote and cilantro. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lettuce.
Leave it off the heat to cool for 10 minutes. (this is a great time to make your scallops and swiss chard)
serves 4-6
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5 cups cauliflower florets, sliced very small (1 large cauliflower or 2 small ones)
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½ teaspoon kosher salt
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½ teaspoon fine ground black pepper
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3 tablespoons olive oil
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1.5 cups heavy cream
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½ teaspoon dry thyme
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1 tablespoon garlic, minced
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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9 eggs separated into-3 whole eggs, 6 yolks
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1/2 cup Manchego cheese, grated and a little bit more to garnish
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2 stalks green onion, white and green parts thinly sliced
Bake the custards in the water bath at 350-degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on the top.
Remove from the oven and let them cool down for 15 minutes, then pull them out of the water. When they are cool enough to touch, run a small knife around the edges and invert onto a serving platter or plate.
Sprinkle with more cheese, and serve warm.
** We went ahead and made these for you, so you can focus on your scallops and sauce, but this is such a handy recipe for a fancy dinner side, or for brunch, we wanted to include it so you can make it for yourself next time!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Generously spray six souffle cups with nonstick spray oil, set aside.
For the cauliflower: Oil a baking sheet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, spread the very small chopped cauliflower florets onto the oiled baking sheet and season with salt and pepper, roast in the oven until golden brown about 13-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
For the custard:
In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat. Bring the cream to a light boil with the garlic, salt, and thyme. Reduce the cream mix to half its volume (about 6-8 minutes)
Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the 3 whole eggs and 6 additional yolks.
Place the mixing bowl on top of a damp kitchen towel and whisk in the warm cream in a steady stream to incorporate. Be careful not to curdle the eggs with the hot cream.
Once you have a silky cream mix add the roasted cauliflower, green onions, and cheese, fold together with a spatula.
Using a ladle or ice cream scoop, fill in your pre-greased souffle cups making sure the cream to solid ratio is more or less the same.
Place the Flan in a large shallow baking dish and place in the oven. With a pitcher pour warm water into the pan to cover the side of the cups to about ⅓ of the way up.
serves 4-6
2- 1 ½ pound butternut squash, peeled cube and roasted soft
½ red onion, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder or chipotle puree
½ teaspoon thyme, fresh or dry
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
In a nonreactive bowl, mix the purple cabbage with the pickled jalapenos, pickling juice, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt, set aside.
Heat up the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion until soft 1-2 minutes, and add the roasted squash and garlic. Season with salt, thyme, and chili powder.
Remove from the heat and mix in the spinach. On a large platter arrange the tostadas, top with the squash mix evenly divided. Top with queso fresco and the toasted pumpkin seeds. Top with Jalapeno slaw.
Serve with a side of rice and refried beans.
1 cup fresh baby spinach, cleaned
8 crispy tostadas
½ cup queso fresco
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, roasted
2 cups purple cabbage,