Wednesday, September 15, 2010

'THY ETERNAL SUMMER SHALL NOT FADE' (MID-SEPTEMBER FAVORITES) ~ PISTACHIO PESTO PASTA with GRILLED LEMON SCALLOPS

"But thy eternal summer shall not fade."
~ William Shakespeare

ANNABELLE HYDRANGEA




PISTACHIO PESTO PASTA with GRILLED LEMON SCALLOPS

~ Before the frost hits, harvest basil for this deliciously sweet meld of flavors

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PESTO:

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup roasted pistachios

1/3 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

2 Tbsp. chopped red onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

pinch coarse salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. linguine

1 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

chopped green onion for garnish

pistachios for garnish


  • Combine basil, pistachios, Asiago cheese, green and red onions, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add oil and incorporate into pesto until smooth. Adjust seasoning.
  • Cook pasta into boiling salted water until tender but firm. Scoop out 1 cup pasta water and reserve if needed. Drain pasta and stir in pesto and Asiago cheese. Toss and add pasta water if too thick. Top with grilled scallops and garnish with additional pistachios and chopped green onion. (4 servings)

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GRILLED LEMON SCALLOPS


24 large sea scallops

2 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

juice and zest of 1 lemon

freshly ground black pepper


  • Combine scallops, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, zest and cracked pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Heat grill. Remove scallops from marinade and grill on high for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Sedum, Henry Eilers Black Eyed Susan, Japanese Anenome, Echinacea, Hardy Hibiscus, Garden Phlox, Moonbeam Coreopsis

37 comments:

lindalou said...

I've still got one more big bunch of basil to harvest and this sounds yummy. Love the hydrangea photo.

Gail said...

Dear Joey, Doesn't Annabelle look pretty this evening! The collage is lovely~Marvelous pinks with that dash of yellow! Love scallops and now must have them for dinner soon~xxgail

One said...

Joey, You do magic to your photos, don't you? It is just so pretty. I feel mesmerized with the effect you created. The soft white hydrangea and 'transparent leaves' has a cooling, calming effect which is much needed here. How do you do that?

Carolyn ♥ said...

Your recipe sounds divine, Joey, but I have to tell you, I'm a little disappointed. The snippet on the Most Faved Blogs picks list said Hydrangea Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Grilled Lemon Scallops. I recently went to a fabulous restaurant and my salad included edible flowers. It was gorgeous and delicious. So I was thinking maybe Hydrangeas were included on the edible list.

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Joey! You DO post the most creative photos... love the layering of Annabelle. Your recipes always sound wonderful, but I don't think there's Every a way to keep up with you! :-) Happy September days!

Anonymous said...

Dearest Joey, This posting highlights two things I should not wish ever to be without - Hydrangea 'Annabelle' and pots of fresh basil. The first I grow en masse below my dining room windows in Maida Vale, the second finds its way into the dining room in all manner of ways.

How do you make these wonderful picture collages? The trouble I had with just the three pictures on my present posting. Keeping them still - nearly impossible!!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lovve the photo collage, but that recipe I will have to make as my husband is a pistacho and scallop person, all combined delicious!

Eileen

joey said...

Hi, Lindalou, and thanks. No matter how much I grow, never seem to have enough amazing basil (great addition to simple salads).

Agree, dear Gail. Annabelles are amazing this season. I've had little time to photograph all happening in the garden but these are simply a few favorites (as are scallops) and anything basil, like this pesto.

You are a dear, One, and thank you. Hydrangeas have been awesome this season. All except my Oakleaf have never been so lovely.

Too funny Meredehuit, though I do grow/eat many edible flowers, mildly toxic hydrangea do not tempt me in the least :)

Happy September days, dear Shady. Too soon, these will all be but a memory :(

I'm with you, dearest Edith, and thank you. Never can have enough hydrangeas or sweet basil! Regarding photos, I was wondering too how you post such large pictures (collages are easy with Picasa)!

Thanks Eileen. Scallops/pistachoes are two of Mr. Ho-Hum's favorites also.

RURAL said...

Joey, that shot looks even more lovely here on your blog with the black background.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Chloe m said...

Hi Joey,

Another good way to eat pasta! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
My husband loves scallops so I will keep this recipe on hand.

joey said...

Thank you, Jen, how kind. I too like the black format but would like to upgrade. Unfortunately, unlike you, not tech savvy so afraid to change.

Carol said...

Delicious Joey! Gorgeous photos too!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Joey;

I swear I gain weight just reading your blog! This sounds sooo yummy. Pistachios are my weakness - I will definitely give this goodie a try. :) Thanks for sharing.

Victoria said...

Beautiful post Joey...I LOVE Anabelle Hydrangea ...my fave..gorgeous photos..everything looks beautiful..gorgeous recipe too! Another Fabulous Joey-esque post!!
HUgs
Happy Autumn Upcoming!
Kiki~

debsgarden said...

Scallops is about my favorite food in the whole world. Your recipe has me salivating !

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Joey, I like how you combine pictures of beautiful flowers and yummy recepies in your posts! They evoke so many different feelings! I love the chair in the last collage. Can you tell us anything interesting about it? It looks very romantic!

Rose said...

The collage is full of so many lovely blooms, Joey, but the Annabelle is definitely my favorite. Hydrangea blooms look beautiful even when faded. And Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 is one of my favorites, too:) Can you believe it's almost autumn? It certainly feels that way here today.

joey said...

Hi Rosey! We will live and die, never creating/eating all the pasta of our dreams. (And Mr. Ho-Hum could never eat enough scallops!)

Thank you, dear Carol.

But you look marvelous, Kate, so no damage done :) Oh yes, this is good. We love pistachios too, in any shape or form.

You are a joy, dear Kiki, and thank you for coining 'Joey-esque'. I'm honored :) Happy 'upcoming' autumn to you, fun friend.

So salivate on, debsgarden! I have lots of scallops posted here. We could do a 'scallop fest' recipe post! Actually, a love/hate food for many ... plus have also learned to ask about food allergies.

Thanks, Tatyana. Less is more for me and why I like to combine a feeling, knowing those who visit are on a limited time schedule. So my simple theme ... quote, seasonal recipe, a few photos to back me up. The bench is on the patio with 2 matching chairs/table and a long view of the back garden. This is where we sit/sip/and enjoy appetizers before candlelight dinners, in warm months on the sun porch. Isn't it romantic!

joey said...

Hi, dear Rose. Thank you, dear friend and, yes, I love this Shakespeare quote. I hold this thought throughout ...

Kala said...

That hydrangea photo is pure art. I love it. I am also a big fan of pesto sauce, pistachio nuts, and pasta. So your recipe sound delicious!

Anonymous said...

We share the love of annabelles. I'm going to be on a bland diet for a good year. Not looking forward to it at all. I'd much rather be fixing your yummy recipes.

tina said...

Grilled scallops-yum! One of my favorite meals! Beautiful Annabelle. I hate to see summer go for sure.

What Karen Sees said...

Your flower photography is always so inspiring - so artistic and lovely. And I've just got to try your recipes. They all sound sooo scrumptious....if I can only drag myself away from the camera! HaHa

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

I'm sure the pistachio makes a welcome change to the usual pine nuts, YUM.

Haddock said...

Simple things in life can make one happy.

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

I've done pine nuts, and walnuts in pesto, but never thought to try pistachios. What a great idea!

joey said...

How sweet, dear Kala. Good stuff :)

Besides Annabelles, we share the love of many of the same things, dear Anna. Thank goodness for herbs, which will kick your bland diet up a notch!

Hi, Tina, and thanks. Hold tight friend, we have a few more precious days of summer to hold onto :)

Thank you, Karen. I've been cookin' more than shootin' lately but gettin' itchy to twirl things around. BTW, your last sunflower post was amazing! It's been a joy to connect and see life your gifted eye.

Hey, hi busy Rob. Thank you for your precious downtime moment to connect. I love pesto but also the many ways to interpret this fun treat. Basil rules in the herb garden. As the season/basil wanes, I add spinach/parsley, etc. and other tasty toasted nuts beside traditional pine nuts.

You are so 'right on', Haddock. Thank you for visiting.

Hi, dear Clare. Still in awe digesting your last awesome 'egg-cellent' post. It's fun to tweak pesto ... so many choices, all wonderful. A seasonal cook, I seem to go a bit heavier with herbs and nuts as the seasons/light goes darker.

Leigh-Ann said...

I'm sitting here with your beautiful daughter admiring her beautiful mother's talent! Looking forward to meeting you tonight at Lisa's wedding!

joey said...

Hugs, Leigh-Ann. You girls looked stunning! You are as lovely as my dear daughter said and a joy meeting you. Both the historic church and splendid DAC are Detroit's finest, the perfect venue for this awesome wedding.

vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com said...

Hello Joey;

All summer I worked hard, pushed myself away from the table, lost weight, found my toes and then as fall approaches I scoot back to The Village Voice and Lemon Scallops catches me, traps me, makes me grab a pencil and scribble down missing ingredients on a shopping list. I should stick to reviewing new gardening books but there is a lure to great food and warm smiles.

I notice on your profile you enjoy American Elms and White Pine. When we bought the land for our new nursery there were 6 elms. This year there are two less. Also two less butternuts. Pines continue to do well.

In northern Vermont there is an island in Lake Champlain named Isle La Mott. When Samuel de Champlain hit Vermont in 1609 he named the island Pine Island because of the size and covering of virgin white pines. Two hundred years later when Burlington Vermont was the lumber capital of the US, pines were cut in the winter, dragged onto the lake ice by oxen and horses, bound together and then when spring arrived they were floated down lake to the sawmills.

I like our forests and I love your blog!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener

Wendy said...

aaaggh, this sounds absolutely delicious. Love the addition of pistachio.

I think I really like the idea of scallops, but maybe not the reality of it? I wonder if I could subsititute shrimp?

imac said...

I really like this shot my friend, its very Arty.

joey said...

Oh George, you are dear. We both love so many of the same things and why we are old friends. Your stories are rich as is your life. I'm sure you are aware of the sad saga of the white pines and lumbering era in Michigan. We are thankfully still blessed to have rich forests and virgin forests like (Hartwick Pines), saved from the axe, the largest stand of virgin white pine remaining in the lower peninsula. Though once gracing archways in major cities like Detroit and our neighborhood, loosing 6 in my yard, I am blessed to still have my sentinel American elm hanging over our house. So lets enjoy our scallops and the remains of beautiful September :)

Hi Wendy. Shrimp is wonderful too! Try my Grilled Shrimp with Walnut Pesto ... marinated in the pesto, skewered, and grilled ... amazing! Just key in the name at the top of my site ... it's great too!

Thanks imac ... sometimes tweaking is fun :)

Kala said...

These images of Coleus DO look like stained glass panes with light shining through them. You are so darned creative Joey!

joey said...

Gee thanks, Kala. As are you :)

Shirley said...

Joey, I love the effect you did with the Annabelle Hydrangea. Did you special filters or is that done with a computer program? If you could answer on my blog that would be great. http://shirley-agardenerslife.blogspot.com/

Have a lovely day!

Shirley

joey said...

Thank you, Shirley. It's a multiple exposure!