Mar 20th - Sourdough Rye Bread, Cilantro and Lime Hummous, Seared Live Sea Scallops with Salsa and Black Bean Dungeness Crab

Cilantro and Lime Hummous

This being a weekend without skiing/snowboarding, was a pretty big cooking day. We did get some market visits in and some golf but still did a decent bit of grub. We hit TnT for the first time in a while to pick up some fresh seafood.

We did not know what we wanted or what we would make until we saw what was on offer. There was a monster of an Alaskan King Crab and his buddies in a big tank but obviously more than we needed in volume and cost. But he was fascinating to see nonetheless. There was a single Bull Head fish in there with them as if a pet. I wonder how on earth he got in there since their tank was below. One of the Alaskan Kings was sort of hugging him between two legs.... that or stabbing him, it was hard to tell and disturbing either way.

I wrestled two Dungeness into a basket with the help of some other shoppers who told me to put them in upside down so they would stop escaping. D picked out some big Live Sea Scallops.

Sourdough Rye and Wheat Bread

This is an overnight affair. If you do not want to wait, then use 2 1/4 t of yeast as you would for normal bread but use your starter as part of the liquid which will add flavour.

1/3 c Sourdough Starter1/4 c water

1/4 c all purpose Flour

1/4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 t dried active yeast (optional, but my starter was looking 'lazy')
1 T dark Molasses
1 T olive oil (optional)
1/2 T Sea Salt
1 c Dark Rye Flour

1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour

Night before baking, in your mixer's bowl, add first four ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined well. It will be loose like pancake batter. Cover tightly and leave in a warm place overnight.

Next morning, put the bowl on to the mixer and attach the dough hook. Add the molasses, pinch of yeast and salt, oil (optional but makes it tender). Mix on 'Stir' or low speed for 2 minutes.

With the spout cover attached, otherwise, SLOWLY and carefully, add the flour 1/4 cup at a time. You want the dough to come together and pull away from the bowl but you do not want it too stiff. You want it tacky to the touch. The amount above is what I used given the humidity of the air and the flour today in Vancouver. It will not be the same everywhere or everyday. That's bread! Mix on slow to medium for 10 minutes. You are building glutens here and that is what makes bread chewy.

Oil large glass bowl with a bit of oil. Lift the dough ball out of the mixer, swirl while holding with one hand and then turn over so the oil side is up. Normally, I would say let it rise in the mixer bowl but because this was stickier than other time as well, the wheat flour left bran reside on the sides, I am using a separate bowl. Let rise in a warm place covered with plastic wrap for 1-2 hours.

Lift the dough out without the violence of punching or pushing. Place in a 9" Cast Iron pan or whatever form you want. Press out to fill the pan. Cover and let rise for 2 hours. We went to the driving range during this time. I let it rise in the oven with no heat on.

When we got back, I took the cover off. I put a small pyrex bowl with water in the pan. I set the oven to 375F. I did not take the bread out first. I let it preheat with it already in there. Bake for 45 minutes from when it hits temperature or 55minutes -1 hour from the time you set the heat.

It is very tasty but I wanted more Rye. Next time, I am going to use more rye to wheat flour and use more molasses.

Cilantro and Lime Hummous

1 19 oz/540 ml tin of Garbanzo Beans / Chick Peas drained

1/4 c water from the Beans (set aside)

1/2 c fresh chopped Cilantro (do not worry about stems too much)

1 lime zested and juiced

4 small cloves garlic

4 T tahini, stirred first

1/2 t ground Cumin

1/2 t Paprika

1/4 c Olive Oil (maybe more maybe less, depending on consistency)

1 t Red Wine Vinegar (optional)

In a food processor, add the Garbanzos, Lime Zest, Lime Juice, Garlic, Cumin, Paprika, Cilantro. Add the Tahini and pulse 3 - 4 times.

Pulse until it looks like oatmeal, small pieces. Add the water or oil first. Depends on how rich you want it. I added the water. Then drizzled in the oil in a very thin stream as I processed constantly. Add more water or oil to the consistency you like. I go for somewhere between peanut butter and cake batter.

Serve with sprinkled with extra Paprika, a few leaves of Cilantro and drizzle with good Olive Oil.

MMMMMm

Seared Live Sea Scallops with Fresh Salsa

2 large live Sea Scallops with shell and roe

Salsa:

8 Cherry Tomatoes or 3 Roma Tomatoes

1 Mango (we did not have a mango because we forgot)

1/8 c chopped red onion

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 lime juiced

1/4 t cumin

Salt and Pepper

Make the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and set them aside at room temperature as you finish the rest.

Turn the broiler on high and put a rack at the highest level.

When I say live scallops I mean they are in those famously large shells with all their tendons and roe. We bought ours at TnT. Open them up fully. You can toss the 'lid', the side that the Scallop meat is not attached to. With a sharp paring knife or fish knife, slice underneath and remove the entire inside. Now scrape and cut away all but the scallop, which you should recognise as the whitish cylinder and the pink/coral roe which is hugging it. It is kidney bean in shape. The rest of the muscle and jelly like stuff you can toss.

Now the clean the shell by washing it. Put 1 t of oil on the cup side of the shell and place it in a shallow baking dish. Place the scallop with the coral/roe still attached back on the shell. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat for all scallops.

Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully. You want to take it out and turn it when it looks like it is starting to tan. Take out of the oven and carefully, carfully flip over in the shell and place back under the broiler for another 3-5 minutes.

The scallop should be 'just' done. The roe will look more solid and have the eating consistency of fois gras.

You may or may not like this. I have had coral/scallop roe pan seared before and it becomes slightly more solid. D, who loves fois gras LOVED this.

Top with 1/4 c of the fresh salsa and serve. MMMM, though D had to finish half of my coral.

Start rice now or rather 5-10 minutes before you start the Crab.

Black Bean and Ginger Dungeness Crab

2 2-3 lb Dungness Crab, live, chopped by your fish monger into halves or quarters

2 inches Ginger, peeled and sliced

6 Green Onions/Scallions, chopped

3-4 large cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced

1 300ml jar Chinese Black Bean sauce, not the 'water-down' major brand name stuff

1 c dry White Wine

1 T oil

1 T Chinese Chili sauce or 3 chopped spicy red Chili

Most places that sell live crab will also dispatch it for you. I ask to keep the shell for flavour. As well as the chopping, you may want to pre-crack most of the legs and claws with the back of a large knife to help the eating. The shells will be hot.

One thing I noticed today at the TnT is that when the guy chopped it, he scraped out all the good stuff, roe and organs. I had wondered why the last two times we got crabs chopped at TnT that there was not roe. I am going to have to remember to ask them not to clean it out.

This will go pretty fast so be sure to have all the ingredients measured and chopped at hand.

Have a very large mixing bowl to the side. In a large stock pot with high sides, (the type you would do alot of pasta, 10-12'' in diameter and 1.5 ft high or an enormous wok), heat 2 t oil on high. Add the crab pieces and wine. Cover and shake often. 8-10 minutes until all the grey shell areas are bright red/orange. Remove them to the mixing bowl and cover with the pot cover.

In the same pot, on medium-high add 2 t oil and sautee the onions for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add the Chinese Black Bean sauce (I mean this. It must be Chinese. You must not be able to read 70% of the label. It cannot be Korean, Japanese, American or Canadian. No President's Choice or other Major Brand). Swish 1/4 of the jar full of water and pour that in too. Add the Chili sauce. If you want to use fresh chilies, add them with the ginger and garlic. Simmer on

Add the Crab back back and toss. Cover and shake. 5 minutes more.

Serve with rice. Provide picks and crackers. We normally have a lot of sauce left, 2 cups. We keep it in a lidded container in the fridge for a stir fry a few days later. It is awesome!!!

We started off eating with some of the bread I made but quickly realised we should have made rice so I quickly made some rice. 10 minute pause in dinner. Where was my head. We saved the bread I cut up though, of course.