What would you feed me…Angie?

 

This week I feel like I am introducing a celebratory, a true food blogging celebratory for sure: Angie from The Novice Gardener. Not only is Angie an amazing, creative cook, she takes stunning photos too, AND she is the creator and host of the brilliant weekly blog party Fiesta Friday, the woman is a marvel! I’ve met so many of my blog friends via Fiesta Friday and have read and saved endless amazing recipes from the weekly link up, and we all have the wonderful Angie to thank 🙂

This week, Angie is my guest blogger and I just know she will have brought something amazing. So, Angie, what would you feed me….?

So, Elaine said she is coming over for dinner. She doesn’t eat meat. In fact, I think she’s vegan. Or at least vegetarian. Hmm…what to do, what to do? What should I feed her?

As I was contemplating while browsing through the produce section in the store, I saw something. Eureka! I know exactly what to cook for her! Scallops! Say whaaaa?! 

 

Just kidding! April fools! I’m making her oysters, instead! Say whaaaa?! Okay, okay, no more jokes! I’m really making her Seared “Scallop” Satay. Using King Oyster mushrooms. Why? Why not?

If you’ve had King Oyster mushrooms before, you know how much they look like scallops when sliced across their stems. And these mushrooms are all stems. Just look at them. 

 

Some of them have larger caps (or are they called heads?), like those on the left. But some don’t have much of a cap at all, like those on the right.

For the purpose of this recipe, however, we’re interested in the stem part. Slice them about 3/4 inch tall, so they resemble very thick coins, or scallops. Then score the top of each “scallop” so it’ll look more interesting. Since Elaine is coming. 

 

Marinate the “scallops” in prepared marinade (recipe below) for 30 minutes. 

 

Then heat up your skillet or griddle, smear some butter or olive oil, and drop your “scallops”. Sear them on medium-high heat, about 2 minutes on each side. Now, if I were cooking real scallops, I would have cranked up the heat to extra, extra hot. But these are mushrooms. You don’t want to burn them, so use medium-high heat.

Remove them and place in a bowl to cool slightly before threading them on to some bamboo skewers. For extra presentation points. Since Elaine is coming. Plus I’m calling these “Scallop” Satay. Anything satay must be in skewers. 

 

While waiting for them to cool, however, I noticed some juice is coming out of them. Plus when I tasted one of them, it was a little tough. So, lesson learned. These are not real scallops, which would have been perfectly cooked in 4 minutes at high heat. These take a little longer to get tender. 

 

So, off they go into the skillet again, juice and all, plus 1/4 of white wine to finish cooking. They look so much like the real thing! And they taste surprisingly “scallop-y”, even with that “fishy mushroom-y” kind of aroma. You know what I mean? Unless my sinus is acting up again.

These “scallops” are truly delicious! If you love mushrooms, you’ll love these! Serve them on a bed of rice. Healthy brown rice, of course. Since Elaine is coming. Don’t forget to garnish the top. To make everything pretty. Since Elaine is coming. 

 

Oh, and make Sesame Snap Peas and Stringbeans, too. You know, Elaine is coming.

So, this is what I’m feeding you, Elaine. Seared “Scallop” Satay and Sesame Snap Peas and String Beans. This post has been brought to you by the letter “S”. I hope you like, Elaine! 

 

Seared “Scallop” Satay

3 King Oyster mushrooms

4 tablespoons marinade

1 tablespoons olive oil or butter

1. Slice mushrooms 3/4 inch thick. You’ll get about 20 slices, depending on the size of your mushrooms.

2. Score the surface of mushroom slices, if you like.

3. Marinate in prepared sauce for 30 minutes.

4. Heat butter or oil in a large skillet on medium-high.

5. Sear “scallops” about 2 minutes on each side or until browned and edges caramelized.

6. Add 1/4 cup of water or stock or wine and let “scallops” cook for another 5 minutes, until fully cooked and tender and sauce has thickened.

7. Serve on a bed of rice.

Marinade

1/2 small onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped ginger

2 green onions, chopped

6 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar – or, for Elaine: honey, maple syrup or a smaller measure of some sugar alternative, if any at all!

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame seed oil

1. Place all ingredients, except for the sesame seed oil, in a food processor, and puree.

2. Place in a small saucepan and heat on medium until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from heat, add sesame seed oil, and set aside to cool before using.

This recipe makes a little over 1 cup of marinade, which is a lot more than you need for the mushrooms. But you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and it’s great with any vegetables or meat or seafood.

Sesame Snap Peas & String Beans

3 cups snap peas and string beans aka green beans

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp sugar – or an alternative as above 

1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetarian soup stock

1. Boil peas and beans for 2-3 minutes or until desired softness is reached.

2. Remove and soak in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain well.

4. Put toasted sesame seeds in a mortar and grind them with a pestle.

5. Add sugar, soy sauce, and stock. Mix to form a paste.

6. Toss vegetables with the sesame dressing.

Wow, wow, double wow!!! How cool is this? When I first read the recipe and saw ‘scallops’ I thought, oh no, she doesn’t know I don’t eat fish!!!! Then I read more and realised what a clever, amazing dish Angie has created! Didn’t I tell you she is creative and amazing?? Thank you so much, Superstar xx