🙂 Back on the diet means back to depriving myself of the Beloved Pasta, alas. This noon I wanted to finish off the last of the frozen scallops residing in the freezer, but because a workman was on his way I didn’t want to dirty up the kitchen or stink up the house with Eau de Fishie.
As I gazed into the depths of the freezer, it occurred to me that I could substitute spinach for the salad greens in the late, great, hopelessly dietetic Saint-Jacques à la Funny and come up with something that would at least give the illusion of more substance. Naturally, the preferred presentation would involve a mountain of spaghetti or noodles, but…well, some things are not to be.
And to keep the smell and the spattering butter out of the kitchen? Ah, there’s nothing like a propane grill.
Did you know you can cook in a pan atop a propane grill? You have to get used to the difference in heat intensity, which of course depends on the construction of your burners and their distance from the grills. But it’s a very easy conversion.
In fact, this whole meal was absurdly easy, and pretty darned good.
First: the spinach. Tear off a sheet of tinfoil and lay it flat upon the counter. Open the bag of frozen greens, if it’s not already open, and deposit as much as you please in the center of the tinfoil. Top with butter, cut into several small chunks. Sprinkle your flavoring du jour. Nutmeg is always nice on spinach. So is tarragon. Today I chose some powdered cumin.
Wrap the tinfoil tightly around the spinach, so it won’t leak.
Preheat the grill for a few minutes. Place the package of frozen spinach on the grill directly over a burner set on medium high heat.
Meanwhile, chop some garlic and a couple of tomatoes. Pour some wine. Defrost the scallops by letting them soak in some cold water. Drink some of the wine.
Go outside and flip the package of spinach over.
Come back inside. Remove the scallops from the water, spread them over a couple of paper towels, and dry well.
Place a chunk of butter in a small frying pan. Take the frying pan outdoors and place it on the grill. REMEMBER THAT YOU’LL NEED A HOT PAD TO TOUCH THE HANDLE!
Come back in. Drink some wine. Carry the chopped garlic outdoors and add it to the melting butter. Push the spinach package back off the very hottest part of the grill, so it will stay warm but not scorch while the scallops cook.
When the butter starts to bubble, add the scallops to the frying pan. Stir. Add a pinch or two or three of dried tarragon, to taste.
Allow the scallops to cook through, without overcooking (this does not take long). If desired, add a little wine to the scallops about the time they appear to be done. If not desired, drink some more wine.
Bring the chopped tomatoes out and add them to the just-about-cooked scallops. Stir briefly.
While the tomatoes cook, bring the spinach inside. Unwrap it and place it on a plate. Bring the pan inside and spread the scallops and tomatoes over the spinach. Top with some Parmesan.
Pour more wine and decamp to the table.
