Scallops with Spicy Beans, Tomatillo, and Citrus by Alison Roman

Drumroll please…. I have SCALLOP INTEL! 

Remember when I made Alison’s Scallops and Corn recipe a few weeks back? No? That’s okay. Well that recipe was my first scallop-cooking experience, and I was disappointed and truly befuddled with how differently they turned out from what Alison described. They produced a ton of liquid, and shrunk down to an unexpectedly small size, and were far fishier than my tastebuds preferred. Upon reading that post, my pal Margaret reached out and astutely asked if I had used bay scallops or sea scallops, and which one Alison specified. 

Lo and behold, Alison HAD specified sea scallops, but I had purchased bay scallops. Not only did I miss Alison’s instructions, but I had no idea there were different types of scallops. Second time around, I purposely sought out sea scallops, which were noticeably bigger, cooked exactly as Alison said they would, and were far less fishy (not in smell, but in taste at least). Though they were noticeably pricier, I must admit they made me far more likely to cook them again. 

And now for the recipe. First step is to combine sliced tomatillos, sliced tangerines, diced jalapeno, shallot, lime juice and olive oil. (Confession: I forgot to buy a shallot. End of confession.) 

The scallops take 3 minutes per side to sear in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet. I needed to cook them in two rounds so as not to crowd the pan. Before turning off the skillet, a can of cannelini beans need sauteeing in the tasty juices. The elements get plated with tomatillos and citrus on the bottom, then beans, and then scallops, with more lime juice sprinkled over. 

This meal redeemed my scallop experiences. It was also enjoyed as part of yet another tasty All-Out-Alison Meal. 

The menu: 

• Side Dish: Raw and Roasted Kale with Pistachios and Creamy Pecorino

• Side Dish: Smashed Cucumbers with Sizzled Turmeric and Garlic

• Main Dish: Scallops with Spicy Beans, Tomatillo, and Citrus

97 recipes cooked, 128 to go.

Scallops with Corn, Hazelnuts, and Brown Butter Chermoula by Alison Roman

Let’s talk about scallops. Scallops are small, fleshy circles of meat that grow inside of hinged shells. They are, in fact, animals. They have organs and eyes that can detect light and motion. There are over 300 species of scallops! Scallops have a tiny muscle flap on their sides that needs to be removed before cooking (I’m not sure why - they’re probably too tough?), and they shrink down quite a bit as they cook, perhaps by about 40-50%. They smell rather fishy! 

Alison instructs us to sear the scallops in a skillet with a bit of canola oil, browning them on both sides. After cleaning my scallops, I did just as instructed. But I was unable to get a good sear because the scallops leaked a potently fishy liquid that covered the pan, creating a soggy surface environment opposite the dry heat required to sear. Why this happened to me, and not Alison – I’m not sure? I ended up draining the liquid and getting a bit of light brown color on each side, but the whole process took far longer than she mentions, and the scallops seemed a bit too dry by the end. There are one or two other scallop recipes yet in this project, so I hope to report back with more success. 

Let’s talk about chermoula (ch-er-moo-la). Chermoula is a kind of relish used in seafood dishes in many Arabic countries. It typically includes garlic, cumin and coriander, among other spices. Alison’s chermoula also used red pepper flakes, cumin, and paprika. In this recipe, chermoula is cooked until fragrant and toasted in a foamy pat of butter. Then the corn is added and cooked until bright yellow. 

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Let’s talk about corn. I love fresh corn in the summer. Cutting it off the ear is a bit more work than buying it frozen, but fresh corn has such a better flavor and texture. My corn cutting tip: stand the ear upside down on it’s head, holding it by the stalk, inside of a large, deep bowl. Take a sharp knife and saw the kernels off one side of the ear, rotating it so that you get all sides clean. The bowl will keep the kernels from flying all over the counter and floor, which always happens when I use a cutting board instead. This, friends, is the best way to cut fresh corn. 

Let’s talk about hazelnuts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t like hazelnuts. At ALL. Alison apparently loves them. So anytime I see them in a recipe, I swap them for a different kind of nut. In this dish, I subbed the hazelnuts with toasted pistachios, which I roasted in the oven for 10 minutes before chopping them for the garnish. 

This kind of dish was a new adventure for me. I enjoyed it, but probably won’t make it again. The scallops were a little too fishy, and the coriander seeds overwhelmed the flavor. The pistachios and cilantro were a nice touch, and I preferred a squeeze of lime, which is pictured in the book, but isn’t mentioned in the recipe. 

Scallops and Corn were the final dish for my All-Out-Alison Meal! This week’s AOA meal menu included: 

• Appetizer: Spicy Marinated Anchovies with Potato Chips

• Side Dish: Tomatoes Dressed in Toasted Fennel and Anchovy

• Side Dish: Baked Summer Squash with Cream and Parmesan Bread Crumbs

• Main Dish: Scallops with Corn, Hazelnuts, and Brown Butter Chermoula 

• Dessert: Upside-Down Apricot Tart

I can highly recommend this as a complete meal for your next dinner party! However, be prepared to spend about 4 hours of prep time in the kitchen. 

89 recipes cooked, 136 to go.

Sticky Chili Chicken with Hot-and-Sour Pineapple by Alison Roman

hey bud

Themed birthday parties were my childhood idea of “BEST BIRTHDAY EVER.” I would spend days and days dreaming up the theme, possible decorations, any necessary costumes, the games we would play, invitation design, etc. Thankfully, my parents were totally on board, costumes and all. I had several themed birthday parties, at least two of which were “Hawaiian Luau’s.” Both parties had tiki torches lit in the backyard, fake flower leis doled out at the door, plastic flamingos and grass skirts, the whole sha-bang. 

I recently thought about how fun it would be to throw another luau party, but make it more “adult.” There would still be tiki torches, lei’s and a plastic flamingo. There would also be some sort of delicious spiked punch and a pineapple juice, rum cocktail. And instead of serving hawaiian pizza (which no one actually likes), I’d serve this sticky chili chicken. 3 large platters of it, with extra pineapple spears on the side. 

Here’s the process for making this fabulous pineapple chicken. First, marinate the bird! I used a 4lb. organic chicken from TJ’s. I patted it dry, and seasoned it with salt and pepper before placing it in a gallon-sized Ziploc. Then I assembled the marinade – the most labor-intensive step (which is hardly labor-intensive at all). The marinade includes: brown sugar, chili paste (Alison suggest sambal, but I used harissa), fish sauce, lime juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, and rice wine vinegar. 

I cannot, for the life of me, find rice wine vinegar anywhere. I own rice vinegar, wine vinegar, and mirin (sweet rice cooking wine), but the specific rice wine vinegar combination is nowhere to be found. Alison uses this mythical substance in multiple recipes, so it must exist. But alas, I got creative with this recipe. To replace ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, I used ⅛ cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of mirin. It seemed to work great! 

I let the chicken marinate for about 4 hours. In the meantime, I peeled and cored a small pineapple, and cut it into spears. The spears joined the chicken and all of the marinade on a sheet pan to cook at 425 for an hour. My chicken took longer than usual to cook, I think because we left another sheet pan in the oven underneath the chicken, and that blocked some of the heat. (Why did we do that? I’m not sure. I wasn’t thinking.) The bird was ready in an hour and 20 minutes. While roasting, the pineapple released its sweet juices, which bubbled and thickened perfectly with the hot and sour marinade. A bite of roast chicken with a piece of spicy pineapple? It brought me right back to my luau. 

I served this dish as part of, what I am now going to call, an “ALL-OUT-ALISON” meal: 

• Appetizer: Crispy Haloumi with Honey and Pistachio

• Side Dish: Perfect Asparagus with Garlic and Salted Olive Oil 

• Main Dish: this chicken!

• Dessert: Blueberry Cake with Almond and Cinnamon

If you made it to the end of this post, consider yourself warmly invited to my next luau.

83 recipes cooked, 142 to go.

Harissa-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard by Alison Roman

You know that feeling when you’re eating a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos and your mouth is on fire but you still can’t wait to eat another one? It’s a scorched craving sensation; the burn you can’t wait to feel. 

This was exactly my experience with this pork shoulder recipe. I hate to love it. It set my mouth on fire and left me wanting more. For Jordan, he just loved it – no fire (I have a low spice tolerance). 

This recipe requires almost no work – dare I say it’s the easiest “main course” recipe of Alison’s thus far? First, the pork is rubbed with a marinade made of harissa paste (a whole half-cup!), tomato paste, brown sugar, distilled vinegar, and salt and pepper. This is the most hands-on part, and it’s over before you know it. The pork and 1.5 cups of water take a shallow dive into a dutch oven to cook, lid on, for 3-3.5 hours at 325. The low-and-slow braising method strikes again! 

Once the meat is close to falling apart and the smell is impossibly good, two cans of rinsed and drained white beans join the fun, lid off, for about 45 minutes at 425. I chose Great Northern instead of Cannelini. Mostly because that’s what I had on hand, but also because Great Northern tend to be stronger and lose their structure more quickly. During their time in the pot, the beans soak up a majority of the liquid. 

Before plating, a bunch of torn swiss chard and sliced preserved lemon get stirred into the beans to wilt. What results is a tender, fall-apart pork bursting with spicy, rich flavor, and softened white beans and chard with briny lemon that do just enough to counterbalance the heat. I still needed a glass of oat milk to calm down my tastebuds, but to Jordan, it was absolutely perfect. And both of us wanted more. 

I left for a quick trip the morning after I made this, but I’m told that the leftovers were just as excellent. 

78 recipes cooked, 147 to go.

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two by Alison Roman

I just received a text from Jordan, my husband, that reads: 

“The pork tastes just as good today! I’d say this recipe should go into the rotation :)” 

In other words, well, in my words, this dish is freaking fantastic and we will eat it often. 

Look at that caramelized brown sugar crust!

Undoubtedly, these pork chops rank in my top 10 Alison recipes, for several reasons. 

1. Flavor: The key here is subtlety. Though I’m usually one to favor in-your-face food (more salt, more lemon, more tang!), these chops seemed to hold back ever so slightly. Perhaps it was the perfectly balanced ratio of brown sugar to salt with the occasionally present fennel seed bursting with anise-like notes. Or maybe it’s the way that the fennel bulb softened and tempered as it heated through with the pork juices. 

2. Ease: Talk about a simple preparation! The chops are rubbed with a toasted fennel seed and brown sugar mixture, anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours before cooking. I prepped my chops right after breakfast so they spent plenty of time with the rub. I can only imagine how those hours of marination helped to tenderize the meat. The cooking method is a pan sear (cast iron preferred) until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, which only took about 15 minutes. Part way through, a thinly sliced fennel bulb is added to the pan. It becomes golden and limp as it soaks up the pork fat and liquified brown sugar. Top the plate with herbs and lemon zest. Voilá! 

3. Satisfaction: Bone-in pork chops are substantial, especially when you follow Alison’s instructions and buy ones that are 1½ inches thick. With the fennel on the side, Jordan and I were full after splitting one chop! 

4. Leftovers: Apparently, they’re “just as good” as the stuff that’s hot-off-the-pan. 

67 recipes cooked, 158 to go.