I’ve been thinking about this for a while.  Scallops wrapped with zucchini.  How could it be bad?  Especially if they’re brushed with homemade lemon dill butter?

Well…  they weren’t bad, at all.  In fact, they were so good, both of us were sopping up our empty plates with homemade whole wheat bread.  We haven’t done that trick in a while.

My original plan was to grill them outside, but it’s a bit chilly and rainy out, so I thought a pan-fry would work just fine.  Victor suggested the panini maker.  It was an excellent idea!  They came out perfectly cooked in just a couple of minutes.

I made the lemon butter last week.  Very basic compound butter.

Lemon Dill and Parsley Butter

  • 2 cubes butter (edited to explain that a “cube” is a “stick” of butter, or 1/4 pound)
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Mince dill and parsley in food processor.  Add the zest of 1 lemon and all the juice.  Add the pepper and mince everything very fine.

Add the butter and pulse until completely incorporated.

Use on seafood, bread, pasta, to cook vegetables, etc.

For the scallops, I thinly sliced a zucchini lengthwise using my mandoline.  I sliced each slice in half, lengthwise, and wrapped one piece around each scallop, securing it with a toothpick.

I then brushed them with melted Lemon Dill Butter and put them on a very hot panini press.  About three minutes later, they were done.

The potatoes were quite easy, as well.  I boiled 2 russet potatoes and drained them.  In a skillet, I sauteed about 2 ounces of diced pancetta with about a quarter-cup of minced onion and 1 minced clove of garlic.  I put the potatoes into the skillet, did a coarse-mash and added about a quarter-cup of sour cream, salt & pepper.  Mixed it all together.

This really was a fun dinner!  The lemon really came through from the butter and the scallop and zucchini went perfectly together.  The potatoes?  Total yum.

And that whole wheat bread…

I’m still making the no-knead bread and loving it!  I tweaked the basic recipe to make a whole wheat version.  Not for any health reasons.  I just happen to like the flavor of whole wheat bread better.

No-Knead Bread

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 envelopes dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 3 cups lukewarm water

Mix everything together to form a fairly wet dough with no dry spots.  Let rise, partially covered, about 3 hours at room temperature.

Punch down and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make a loaf of bread:

Preheat oven with baking stone to 450°.  Form 1/4 of the dough into a ball.  Place on cornmeal dusted peel or on a piece of parchment paper.  Let rise about 45 minutes.  Make 2 deep slashes in the top of the dough with a sharp knife and slide onto the stone.  If you use the parchment paper, you can place the bread on the paper onto the stone.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Cool completely before slicing.

For a crunchier crust, place a sheet pan on a rack under the stone when preheating the oven.  When you put the dough in the oven, pour a cup of hot water into the sheet pan and quickly close the oven.  The resulting steam will create a crunchier crust!

Tummy’s full.  Victor’s in the kitchen planning a dessert for later.

I’m a happy camper.