Lemon Drop Scallops

Tuesday and Thursday nights are typically Eric's night to cook, which isn't a bad thing its just... time consuming. Lets just say that "multitasking" is not used in his vocabulary next to "I can" or "I'm good at" very often. So when Eric cooks, eating later in the evening (8:30 anyone?) tends to be more common than not. Such was the case last night when he got home all excited to start on a recipe he found, and realized halfway through that we were out of a great many things. This is actually okay as the phrase "lets just wing it" is a very common phrase in the Eric Lexicon. Halfway through, the dish was starting to sound more like a Martini than a dinner so a few of those got added to the meal too. In fact a cold martini is one of Eric's favorite meals.

The recipe here calls for fresh spinach, but sometimes its just not around, so we had to go for frozen. Charisse pulled out one of her little tricks to prepare frozen waterlogged spinach. Start by defrosting the spinach in the microwave (or let it sit out for a while) then put the spinach on a clean dishtowel (one that you don't mind making instantly dirty) and wring the towel out from both sides over the sink. Really twist it good and when your done, your greens are ready to cook with.

We served this one over a bed of cuscus with some sauted garlic and butter broccoli, but it would go equally well with the scallops served over the spinach.

Lemon Drop Scallops
What you will need: 
1 Tbsp Julienne Cut peeled ginger
1 Tbsp Diced Chives
1 Tbsp Diced Shallots
6 large cloves garlic, minced
10 - 20 large Scallops
1/2 Cup Vodka
1/4 Cup Vermouth
1 Tsp Grated Lemon rind
1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach or 1 bag frozen
Butter
Salt
Pepper


Mix the ginger, chives and Shallots in a bowl, divide and place half in a shallow dish or pan. Add the Vodka and Vermouth and let sit covered for 30 minutes.

Melt a pat of butter in a skillet and sauté the remaining mixture for 30 seconds then add lemon juice and rind. Once it hits boiling add the Spinach and cook for 2 minutes or so (until wilted). Remove the spinach and melt 2 or 3 pats of butter in the skillet. Once the butter is melted and hot, add scallops for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side, until golden brown on each side. Remove these from the skillet and pour in the remainder of the marinade and deglaze the pan. Cook this down until it thickens and there is only 1/4 cup left.

Adapted from http://www.cookinglight.com