Sunday Supper Seasonal Fare: Spring Surf & Turf with Scallops

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Mother's day. We made a delicious play on a traditional surf & turf dish by using scallops and pancetta to celebrate all of the beautiful Mother's in our lives. We used almost all seasonal ingredients from the local farmer's market making it taste even better. It is simple and clean making it a great introduction to spring fare.

What You Need: 
large globe artichokes (1 per person)
scallops (6 per person) 
thick cut pancetta ( at least a finger width wide)
fresh English peas
shitake mushrooms
1 garlic clove per person
1 lemon
olive oil
mayonnaise
verjus (optional)
salt & pepper

For the Aioli 
Begin by making the aioli first. Whisk the following together in a small bowl. 
1T. olive oil
1 minced small garlic clove
juice from half of a lemon
1 t. of verjus
salt & pepper
1/4c. mayonnaise


What to Do
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large stock pot, begin boiling water to steam artichokes. You will need to fill the pot at least half full. Monitor the water levels throughout the cooking process to ensure that it doesn't evaporate. Rinse artichokes and trim the top by slicing off the top tips. Cut off the stem close to the base creating a flat surface. Mince a garlic clove over each artichoke sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil and place in strainer over the boiling water. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Cut pancetta into 1/2 inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a low heat oven for 25 minutes. Wipe the caps of the shitakes and remove stems. Cut each cap in half and slice into pieces and set aside. Shell your peas and place in a bowl.

Prep scallops by removing knuckles and rinsing. Blot off excess water with a paper towel. Place on a cutting board and sprinkle with pepper. Lightly season with salt if you'd like keeping in mind that the pancetta is pretty salty. Over med-high heat in a large pan, add 2 T. of butter and allow for it to brown. Prepare a second smaller pan with a T. of olive oil over medium heat to saute your mushrooms and peas in. Add both to small pan stirring occasionally. Add pancetta to the pan to reheat and combine flavors.

Your scallops will only take 4 minutes to cook so it's important to make sure that everything else is almost ready to go before dropping your scallops. When large pan comes to temp, add the scallops and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes per side until they have a nice brown butter crust on them. Toss in the peas, shitakes and pancetta to the pan and serve immediately. Place an empty bowl on the table for your guests to discard their artichoke leaves. Serve with individual aioli dishes. We paired this with a delicious sauvignon blanc.