Baseball fans with a taste for fish from local waters were celebrating with red snapper in Tampa Bay this week, when the hometown Rays sent Boston packing for Beantown.
Two cities with rich seafood cultures, but only one of them — after years of last-place misery — is going to the Fall Classic.
[A third team from the American League with a strong history of aquatic harvest now resides in the cellar. I won’t name names, but it rhymes with Baltimore.]
So while the chefs at Catch 23 will crust scallops with pistachio for World Series parties, Boston cook Betsy Block may be comforting loved ones with a simpler dish of scallops and bacon.
One of a dozen recipes in Block’s debut book — “The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World” from Algonquin — the scallop recipe stands out among stories of kale and butternut squash for its inclusion of God’s gift to the gentiles — bacon.
“For us New Englanders, scallops are the only relatively clean, sustainable-enough local fish around these days,” writes Block, a contributor to NPR’s online column “Kitchen Window.”
“Dinner Diaries” documents Block’s efforts to make family eating fun, appetizing and as healthy as possible in a Pop-Tart nation.
Never underestimating her opponent — the great pillars of sugar, salt and fat supporting American food culture — Block writes with knowledge, wit and humor in her quest for “an all-family meal makeover.”
One chapter is called “Easier Said Than Done,” and she acknowledges that in just about any competition among foods, most kids would prefer a Pop-Tart.
(As well, apparently, as a lot of grown-ups, evidenced on a recent cross-country road trip in which every truck stop on the interstate had large displays of Pop-Tarts on sale for cheap. If there are any nutrition-conscious truckers reading this, I’d love to hear your stories about eating healthy on the road.)
In the appendix, Block lists a state-by-state “Places to Go” directory for families to learn about farming, ranching, food preparation and agricultural history.
She gives two destinations for Maryland: historic St. Mary’s City in Southern Maryland and Kinder Farm Park in Millersville.
“I could take matters into my own hands and cook up a banquet of delights all for myself,” Block writes. “But the goal is to serve family dinners that work for everyone. … I haven’t given up on this elusive goal yet.”
Scallops and bacon
• Three tbsp. olive oil.
• Two tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
• One tbsp. chopped fresh chives or favorite herbs.
• One tsp. salt.
• Fresh ground black pepper.
• One-third to one-half lb. bacon strips.
• One lb. scallops — approximately 16 — rinsed and dried with tough muscles removed.
• Bamboo skewers soaked in water for a half-hour.
Combine all ingredients for olive oil mixture of herbs and seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside. Par-cook bacon stripes in microwave in batches by placing paper towel on plate and laying bacon on top in a single layer. Cover with a second paper towel. Cook on high for four to five minutes until the strips are translucent but not crispy. Let cool. Wrap strips around scallops in an S pattern, cutting bacon into smaller pieces if necessary. Carefully thread bacon-wrapped scallops onto skewers — three to four per skewer. Brush scallops on each side with olive oil mixture and grill over medium heat for about four minutes per side.
Combine all ingredients for olive oil mixture of herbs and seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside. Par-cook bacon stripes in microwave in batches by placing paper towel on plate and laying bacon on top in a single layer. Cover with a second paper towel. Cook on high for four to five minutes until the strips are translucent but not crispy. Let cool. Wrap strips around scallops in an S pattern, cutting bacon into smaller pieces if necessary. Carefully thread bacon-wrapped scallops onto skewers — three to four per skewer. Brush scallops on each side with olive oil mixture and grill over medium heat for about four minutes per side.
