(First off, I ought to say I am not a great or even good chef in any sense of the term, I have no wish to publish recipes any more than I wish to be an actor.  I’m at the very bottom of the chef heap.  Maria hates to shop or cook, so this gives me a big opening to learn and grow. Maria is a fussy and demanding eater, her hates and loves are very strong, and when she doesn’t like something it is immediately apparent.  I’ve compiled a list of five or six meals simple meals all from scallops to light and healthy grain pizzas. I’ll share them. There will never be a book of recipes, that is not what I write books about.)

I want to cook  simple meals for her, and for me. Right now I’m working on what I call “Winter Storm” meals, comfort meals.

I want them to be interesting and flavorful as well as light and healthy – nothing greasy, high in fat, swollen with carbs or loaded with sugar. I want them to warm us up. On top of the usual concerns, I am a diabetic and must be careful about what I eat.

I want both of us to love the meals and I want them to be good for both of us. I am working on light gourmet pizzas, several fish meals, and as soon as the farmer’s markets open up again, some vegetable dishes throughout the summer and into the Fall. I’ll share these recipes, I’m getting a lot of good feedback about them.

Tonight, I cooked one of my favorite simple meals: scallops. We had company, our friends Kitty and Charlie, no slouches at all when it comes to cooking fresh and original food. So this meal was for four.

I got two bags of fat sea scallops – $20 a bag. Since this  was a meal for four, about 24-26 large scallops. For two, chop everything in the recipe in half.

The scallops were frozen, it is difficult to get fresh fish where I live, I have found that scallops preserve their flavor when frozen as long as they don’t languish in freezers for weeks. New freezing technology has improved the flavor of frozen foods.

Ingredients:

Two bags of big fat bay scallops, frozen or fresh

Ground basil.

One-third cup of melted butter.

Two cloves of garlic added to the butter.

One cupful of fresh vegetable sprouts.

One third of a cup of pine nuts.

One third cup of parmesan cheese finely ground.

I defrosted the scallops in a big blue bowl, I sprayed warm water on them to thaw them out and get rid of any ice crust, which scallops are prone to. Makes cooking easier.

The challenge of scallops for me is to not mess up their natural flavor. At the same time, they can be bland, so they might need a little flavor help. I am learning a lot about flavors and sauces. This is where I need a light, even subtle touch.

Scallops should be well cooked but they are easily overcooked, every oven is different. You have to keep an ee on them and experiment.

I want mine to still be soft when served, and I take care not to drown their natural flavor, which is the whole point of scallops. They should almost melt in your mouth. But like all fish, they need to be thoroughly cooked. It’s not easy.

I have some basil from a friend’s garden and I sprinkled it lightly over the scallops before they went into the oven.

I painted some olive oil on the aluminum foil I use to line the pan. That way they won’t stick. Five minutes on one side, then I turn them over and cook them for five minutes on the other side.

Tonight, I baked them in the oven rather than cook them in a skillet.

The temperature was 450 degrees, and I lay the scallops out in a baking pan, brushed them with virgin olive oil to keep them from drying out.

I prepared a sauce of butter with two leaves of ground garlic mixed in and cooked on the stove until the butter is lightly melted, but not burned. I crush the garlic right into the pot with the butter and stir it together.

I brush the butter and garlic sauce on one side of the scallops, and then when it is cooked, on the other side when turned over. (Five minutes on each side at 450). This helps keep them moist.

I chopped up a cupful of fresh vegetable sprouts. When  the scallops have been cooked on each side for five minutes, I take them out of the oven (brushing them again lightly with the butter and garlic sauce.)

I put the scallops in a calendar, drain them.

I mix in the cupful of sprouts.

Then I sprinkle three or four teaspoons of finely ground parmesan cheese, just enough to add some flavor, but not enough to overwhelm 25 big fat scallops. I pour the remainder of the butter and garlic sauce on the scallops.

I sprinkle the pine nuts, a staple of mine for flavor and some crunch.

Then I sprinkle a half-cup of Panko Crumbs over the scallops to give them a very mild but slightly crunchy crust. A little more flavor, a bit more crunch. All these additions are light.

The scallops came out well, so I saw and  heard. They were most, a knife cut them like butter, and the scallop’s flavor was preserved and slightly enhanced. I was happy with this recipe.

Maria and our guests urged me to put the recipe up, they all said it was  delicious and worthy, they are truth-tellers.