Sweet Potato 'Risotto'

      I went out to dinner with my parents the other day.  There is a local place here called Blackboard Bistro that serves and eclectic and inventive mix of tasty food.  One of the items that attracted my attention was something called sweet potato 'risotto.'  I couldn't resist.  It was combined with scallops and utterly delicious!

      I should clarify here.  The term risotto is used rather loosely.  There is no rice involved here.  Indeed, this is a sweet potato dish.  I could taste chicken broth and butter.  The sweet potato is chopped very finely, minced really, and thus (slightly) resembles rice in texture.  It almost eclipsed the scallops.  

     The chef may have given me the recipe, but I didn't have the courage to ask.  So I elected to devise my own recipe, and that is what we have here.  

     Even though the dish at Blackboard did not appear to have anything else in it, I have a fair number of leeks in the garden still, so that was added.   The sweet potato was added of course, and then chicken broth as the moisture.  That's it.  

Sweet Potato 'Risotto'

serves 2-4, depending on what else is served

1/4 c leeks, cleaned, quartered lengthwise and sliced thinly

2 c finely chopped sweet potato (this could well be relegated to the food processor)

2T butter

1-2 c chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan large enough to hold the above ingredients comfortably.

Add the leeks and sweet potato, stir to coat with butter, x 1-2 minutes.  

Add the broth, 1/4 c at a time, in the manner of making risotto:  Add the broth, stir frequently until the broth is nearly absorbed or evaporated, repeat until the potato is very soft.
This should take about 15-20 minutes.  There should be some moisture left in the dish.
Season to taste.

The dish at the bistro had a rougher texture to it and wasn't flecked with green.  That may be esthetically preferable.  Either way will be delicious, but that's all there is to it.  But to my mind, the result is more than the sum of the parts. 

Fastest Meal in the West

     Ok that title might be a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.  I think it was about 15 minutes from gathering ingredients to sitting down to eat.  Sadly, it was so tasty, it was less than that to an empty plate.
      I continue to channel my friend Laura here, in the endless search for dishes that are suitable for her dietary restrictions.  Frankly, this doesn't feel like a restriction however.
     The beauty of it is that, if a Trader Joe's is in a neighborhood near you, it is embarrassingly easy to throw together.  Heck, I should give them this recipe, as it uses 2 primary ingredients that both are purchased at that dangerous place.
     Truly, I struggle somewhat with TJ's.  Don't get me wrong, I do shop there.  But I am uneasy about buying all of the prepared foods that are sold in that freezer section, as it seems like a sell out when I am such a believer in preparing my own foods.  But there are days in this household when a meal on the table soon soon soon is a nice thing.  And it does prompt my child to actually volunteer to make dinner, a habit I want to foster.   Well, and another thing, you can acquire plenty of things there that are not pre-made, and are just waiting for your inspiration.
      Take this dish, for instance.  Originally from Gourmet, with a modification, it's really quite simple.  You sauté scallops that have been sprinkled with curry powder, set them aside and then sauté spinach.  That's it.  What?  It can't be that simple?  Oh, yes, it can.  And if you have a bag of spinach and a bag of scallops from sitting around waiting for inspiration, it's ludicrously easy to boot.

Seared Curried Scallops with Zucchini (or Spinach)

serves 2

1 lb sea scallops (defrosted if from TJ's)

1 tsp curry powder

1 1/2-2 T vegetable or olive oil

1t finely grated or peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 " slices

        OR:  1/2 bag of baby spinach

Salt and pepper

1.  Pat scallops very dry,  sprinkle with curry powder and salt and pepper.  Heat 1T of the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until quite hot, but not smoking.  Place the scallops in the pan and leave ALONE for 1-2 minutes (watch the clock not the scallops, to resist the urge to check), or until golden, flip and repeat.  Remove to a plate.  They should be golden brown and just opaque in the center.  

2.  Add the ginger and garlic.  Be careful not to let them burn, add the spinach (or the zucchini), a couple pinches of salt, and stir constantly until wilted.  

3.  Serve the scallops over the greens or zucchini.  

That's it.  Stupidly easy.  I think a nice baguette for you bread eaters out there would work with this dish.  But I didn't really miss it.  

A Little Floral Photojournalism: Reason to Have Faith

     It's been pretty cold and damp around here lately.  I know, I know, it could be worse, we could be in Illinois or New York right now.   Or Ukraine.  I won't even go there.  I did talk with a person recently who travelled to Wisconsin.  His observation was that, yes, it's colder there, but the humidity is less, so it is not as noticeable as here.  But I digress.
     Somehow, this time of year is rather challenging for me.  I am really ready for spring, and find the wet and chill to be particularly discouraging.  I would particularly like to work in my yard.  A couple warmer days would spur me onward, but they do not appear to be in the reliable future.
     It was with pleasure last weekend, therefore, to be able to have a vigorous walk outside and finally feel like I was enjoying the climate.  It was still cloudy but not as cold, and certainly dry.  Turns out Bryce also had a walk the day prior, and had a similar experience.  There were visual treasures to be found, and hints of the future were at hand, if one looked carefully.
     So, without further ado, I present the fruits of our labors.  Fear not, fine readers, it's now March, and Spring is nigh!

Bryce's photos, the last 6, are......more stylized than mine, but no matter, they also are amazingly evocative of the season, the fact that there are colors out there beyond the dull browns and steely grays.  Just need a bit of careful observation to see them.