Seared Scallops with Butter Bean 'Ratatouille'*

Everyone loves a quick and easy dinner meal - I do nearly all (about 97%) of the cooking in my household, so any dinner that can be on the table in under 20 minutes makes me spectacularly happy. This recipe requires two pans - a saucepan and a frying pan - so that you can cook things simultaneously, which is one of the reasons why this is so fast. Two spatulas to avoid contamination would be good also. To save a few minutes, only grate the Parmesan and prepare the scallops once the 'ratatouille' is cooking.

*The 'ratatouille' part of this is entirely bastardised and should only take 10-15 minutes to make, which is why I used the quotation marks.

I'm a big seafood person and come from a country where seafood is usually purchased live or literally just dead, so I am a stickler for freshness (sadly, the country I'm currently living in doesn't have the same kind of market). Anyway, purchase scallops that are as fresh as possible. I like to eat them with the roe attached but you can easily purchase scallops without roe if that's your preference.

This meal is quite healthy but still tastes fairly decadent. If you're using it for a dinner party, play around with the presentation a bit.

This recipe will serve 2 - I used it for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 300g scallops with roe attached
• 1/3 tsp salt**
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 300g of chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 of a regular can)
• 2 rashers of bacon, thinly sliced
• 1 400g can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 100g of baby spinach, washed
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced and crushed (or 1/2 tbsp garlic paste)
• 3/4 tsp each basil and oregano
• 1/2 a cup of diced eggplant (aubergine), lightly sprinkled with salt (1-2 pinches)
• 1/2 a capsicum (bell pepper), diced
• 4 tbsp of finely grated Parmesan Reggiano
• 1 tsp vegetable oil x 3
• 2 tsps butter

1. Dryfry the bacon in the saucepan over a medium-high heat, until some of the fat renders. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Toss in the garlic (or garlic paste) and onion. Fry.
2. When the onion begins to turn translucent (3 or so minutes), add the capsicum and eggplant. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs, butter beans and the 1/3 of salt. Stir to combine, partially cover and reduce heat to simmer for 1o minutes. Check halfway through cooking and stir in the spinach.
4. Grate the Parmesan. Rinse the scallops and pat them dry with paper towels. Heat the frying pan over high heat, and add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 1 tsp of butter. When fluid and on the verge of bubbling, add half the scallops. Depending on the thickness, saute them for 1-2 minutes. Turn over and saute for slightly less time on the other side. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the scallops.
5. To serve, divide the bean ratatouille between two plates. Surround with the scallops. Scatter the grated Parmesan over the ratatouille.

This recipe is 'two spooned' because it is really easy to overcook scallops, leaving them tough and dry. If you're a bit unsure about the semantics of scallop-cooking, YouTube has plenty of resources. Bon appetit!

Ideas:

• Try this with mussels or prawns
• Add 1/2 cup cooked mushrooms
• Serve with grilled Tuscan-flavoured chicken in place of the scallops
• Add a leaf salad on the side
• Substitute chickpeas or other legumes for the butter beans

**I use organic bacon, which has less salt so I compensate with extra salt. If you're using regular bacon, reduce the quantity of salt to 1/4 tsp.