Grilled Zucchinis and Sea Scallops and Two Sauces

AnitaDairy Free, Entrée, Fruits, Gluten Free, Herbs, Paleo, Shellfish, Vegetables, What's Cooking 4 Comments

Hello June.  Where has the time gone?  School is out this week and it’s time for a break, so in a few days I pack the kids and a million of their necessities and we drive to Virginia to spend some time with my family.   It’s always fun there, lots of friends and family, and in Lebanese that translates to lots and lots of food!!  If you’ve ever been to a Mid-eastern house for dinner (I think it applies to the entire Mediterranean people), you’d certainly know first hand what I mean.  In the summer, we love to get together for casual feasts, and grilling is a great option, food tastes great and nobody has to slave in a hot kitchen for too long.
It’s been really hot around here.  Our food has become light, grilled, with heavy focus on vegetables and seafood.  Besides, I don’t really feel like turning on the stove in this heat, and heavy foods make the body temperature rise, so the best way to cool down is to turn your attention to salads, vegetables and lots of fluids.

Our friends came over last Sunday for dinner and a playdate for the kids.  It was a great time for us and the easiest dinner menu to prepare.  We had Tabbouleh, Grilled Tuna Steaks and Grilled Vegetables with Roasted Garlic Cilantro Sauce and a Cherry/Blackberry Crumble.
I love sauces.  I think they add so much depth to a dish and complete it in a way.  I’ve been orchestrating a grape sauce in my head for a long time and finally I had a chance to make it today in preparation for dinner tonight.  I’m grilling again. Yep! This time I got some lovely Sea Scallops and I thought that the grape sauce would make a nice pairing.  You know how sometimes there’s that bunch of grapes that become a little soft and nobody wants them.  Great.  Those would be great for this sauce.  I used red grapes (don’t remember what kind they are, but it does’nt matter really).  Oh and this weekend, at the market, we found a delicious local jelly that was being sampled and both my husband and I fell in love with it.  It’s called Hot Pepper Jelly made by a local company.  It is so yummy, they were sampling it with as a topping for a cream cheese on a cracker.  Well, it also made for a great addition to the grape sauce too.


Grilled Sea Scallops
3-4 pieces per person
salt and pepper
Olive oil 
Drizzle olive oil all over the scallops and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a hot well seasoned grill (so they don’t stick).  As they cook they will turn from a translucent creamy color to white.  Turn on the other side once a third of the way cooked.  You can also sauté them if grilling is not an option.

Grilled Zuccchinis
8-10 small zucchinis, green and yellow
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp marjoram, dried
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Wash the vegetables well. Cut lengthwise.  Toss with olive oil and spicesPlace on a medium/hot
grill until fork tender.

Roasted Garlic Cilantro Sauce
3 oz garlic cloves
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 oz cilantro, leaves and stems
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini paste (sesame butter)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
To roast garlic, place the cloves in a foil paper, drizzle olive oil and some salt, seal and bake at 350ËšF for 15-20 minutes until soft. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until all blended and creamy.  If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water. You can replace cilantro with parsley as an option.

Spicy Grape Sauce
9 oz red seedless grapes, cut in half
1 tsp hot pepper jelly (optional)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp shallots, finely diced
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice the grapes in half and place in a skillet on medium heat. The juices will start to ooze and bubble.  When they become sort of liquid.  You can strain at this point to remove the skin, or use a blender to liquify with the skin and set aside.  In the same skillet, sauté the shallots with a tablespoon of butter, add grape puree and mustard and jelly if using.  Blend well, add salt and pepper and let simmer gently until it thickens a bit about 6-8 minutes.  Finish with the other tablespoon of butter.  Serve hot or room temperature.

Comments 4

  1. Beautiful photos! And everything looks so yummy. I found your blog through cannelle et vanille, and was so happy to see another blogger living in North Carolina. Great blog!

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