Juicing : scallops in fresh apple juice reduction

Now, now.  For any of you who may have thought this, let Annalena make something very clear:  she does NOT juice.

Some of you may be thinking  "how would she think she juiced ?  Is she KIDDING?"   Ragazzi, Annalena knows that her physique, albeit not the mountainous one of the past, would not tease anyone into thinking she juices THAT way.  No, no no.  She is writing about the juice craze, where people make their own juices at home.

Annalena's kitchen is crowded with so many machines and implements that, although she is constantly "wanting" things, Annalena will not add anything unless it serves several purposes.  A juicer does not.  It juices.  Annalena is not a juice drinking woman.  The only juice she consumes is wine (it's grape juice after all), and an occasional spritz of fresh citrus, for which she has a hand squeezer.  It does just fine.  The mess of juice preparation (all that pulp), the cleaning of the equipment, and frankly, the calories involved,  have succeeded in keeping  Annalena from the whole juice extravaganza.  It hasn't been a truly big thing, as the only thing Annalena can remember regretting she could not make, was a green apple sorbet from Lindsay Shere's book on desserts, because it called for fresh apple juice.

And FRESH apple juice is necessary because, as those of you who imbibe will know, almost immediately after being prepared, fresh apple juice discolors.  It oxidizes. That is why that big bottle of it you find in the supermarket is brown colored.  No, that is not the color of the juice, it is artificial (or natural) color added, to mask the unappetizing brown of oxidized apple juice.

Oh, dear. A digression. But a helpful one. Also, one has to remember that when drinking fresh juice, a glass of, say, orange juice, is the equivalent of at least three, sometimes four, fresh pieces of fruit. At some levels, fresh juice is almost the same as soda.  So, no fresh juice, and no juicer.

So when Annalena saw this recipe, she despaired of making it, as it calls for fresh juice.  BUT... it makes a relatively small quantity, is helped by the greatest ingredient of all - water - and it calls for a blender.  She was dubious, but is now very pleased and sees this recipe going into her repertoire.

Let's cook.

You will need two granny smith apples, a large lemon,  and then 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pound of scallops, the largest you can find and a tablespoon of unsalted butter.  Also salt and pepper.

Note the minimalism of the recipe.  It is in accord with our themes, right ragazzi?

Now, let's make the apple juice.  Cut up one of those granny smiths in large chunks, and core it.  Get rid of the stem, but do not peel it.  Put it in a blender with the juice of that lemon, and 1/4 cup of water.  Puree, and sing a song to yourself while you do, to break down the apple as much as possible.  You'll see this lovely "stuff," the beautiful green color of a luna moth  (if you have never seen a luna moth, take steps to rectify this immediately).  Get a find strainer, and a bowl. Pour the stuff into the strainer, and press down.  The pulp will stay behind, and the juice goes into the bowl.  You will wind up with somewhere between 3/4 and a full cup.

Get to work on the second apple.  This time, you do peel it.  Core it, and cut it into small cubes - about half an inch, and keep in mind this is home cooking, so perfect cuts are not necessary.  Put those chunks into a bowl with the juice you made.  The lemon juice is going to keep everything from browning, while you make your scallops.


To make them,  spread out the scallops on a plate or tray and dry them very well.  This is an important step. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on them.  Get a big pan, and add two tablespoons of olive oil.  It is all you will need.  Let it cover the pan, and get hot.  Now add the scallops.  You might want to use a timer, because you don't want them to cook more than 2 minutes on a side.  If the oil is hot enough, they will brown nicely, and if they are dry enough, they will not stick. (if you are nervous about any of this, use a non-stick pan, and if it's not large enough, cook the scallops in batches).  Put them back on their tray, or plate, and put them aside.  Add the tablespoon of butter, and when it melts, add the juice and apples.  Kick up the heat as high as it will go.  Stir every now and then, and watch the juice carmelize (bye bye bright green color), and the apple bits cook to aldente.    Divide your scallops, and then pour equal amounts of this stuff over them.

If you are so inclined, you might add some greens, like pea shoots, or other like product, to the hot oil before you pour it over the scallops, but such is not necessary.  These are both very light, fresh flavors (scallop and apple), and to Annalena's taste, the greens overpower them.


No juicing, ragazzi, even if you think that guy is hot.  Drink your juice, if you must, and in any case, do make this recipe.