Scallops & chorizo, zucchini carpaccio

Chorizo and seared scallops, served with a zucchini carpaccio.

The chorizo was purchased from Austin Brothers Valley Farms in Belchertown, MA and the scallops from Jordan Bros. Seafood in Brockton, MA, both selling their wares at the Somerville Winter Farmers' Market.

The chorizo was sliced to about 1/2" thickness and dry-fried. A bit of bacon fat (maybe 1/4 tsp) was added to the pan, since the sausage didn't give off much fat at all, and the scallops were seared in the fat after being dressed with salt and pepper.

The "carpaccio" was created with zucchini sliced wafer-thin with a mandoline, then dressed with a 1:1 mixture of olive oil and Key lime juice, salt, pepper, and shredded parsley. It came out a little too oily for my taste, perhaps next time reduce the oil. I will probably also use lemon juice and dill for flavor, as the lime was a bit overpowering.

Crab cakes with caper-lime remoulade, sauteed spinach

Crab cakes topped with a spicy caper & lime remoulade, over spinach sauteed in bacon fat with garlic, salt, & pepper.

The crabcakes were from Sen. Barbara Mikulski's recipe.

My remoulade was a slapdash concoction from what I had in my fridge: mayo , a spoonful of capers minced very fine, a splash of Key lime juice, and some cayenne to bring the heat.

The spinach was sauteed in a pan with a bit of bacon fat, minced garlic, salt & pepper.

Crab was purchased from Jordan Brothers Seafood, spinach from North Star Farms in RI, both vendors at the Somerville Winter Farmers' Market.

Crepes with Calvados-preserved apples

Sweet crepes from Alton Brown's recipe, topped with apples that were preserved in Calvados (Breton apple brandy) and simple syrup.

The apples were sauteed in butter to caramelize the sugar, and the whole shebang was drizzled with a stovetop Calvados syrup.

The next batch of apples has cinnamon sticks in the syrup, so we'll see how they turn out when we crack those jars open!

Thai green curry with scallops

Thai green curry from a recipe given by my (Thai) aunt, with zucchini, red pepper, and bamboo shoots, prepared with seared scallops and served over brown long-grain rice. The secret ingredient is... Maesri green curry paste. Who knew?

Scallops from Jordan Brothers Seafood, at the Somerville Winter Farmers' Market.