Simpler Symon

Clarkson Potter publishers recently gave us a complimentary copy of Michael Symon’s Live to Cook and we’ve very much enjoyed making recipes from it.

Here’s what we’ve made so far:

• Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
• Slow Roasted Beets with Blue Cheese
• Chicken Stock
• Scallops with Lamb Sausage and Beans
• Mac and Cheese (technically before we had the book)

One really great thing about this book is it tells you exactly what Symon uses: the brand of Blue Cheese and Jerk Paste, the preparation for the sausages, etc. This can also be a downside, because you feel you’re doing something wrong if you don’t match the recipe.

A notable element of his chicken stock is that he leaves out celery which is ominpresent in every stock recipe I’ve found. But it is arguably an improvement: the stock flavor is somehow cleaner with a stronger chicken (and thyme) flavor.

We loved the beets–Sarah became a beet fan after a couple visits to Crop Bistro–although we didn’t have the walnuts (we used almonds instead) or watercress–and I really enjoyed the kick and complexity of the tomato soup.

One interesting element of the book is that, while the recipes on the page generally look quick, they often rely on a Michael Symon “pantry” which includes pickled everything (peppers, green tomatoes, chillies), various sauces (e.g. banana pepper Shasha sauce) and fresh sausages. 

I didn’t feel comfortable reviewing the book until we’d made an entrée. I decided today that I’d either make the Slash ‘n Burn Grouper, Bacon-wrapped Walleye or Scallops with Lamb Sausage. Our local Whole Foods didn’t have grouper, jerk paste (the central flavoring of the first recipe) or walleye, so that left me with the last option. The dish was wonderful. Everyone (including Jonathan) really liked it. I didn’t have the full 24 hours to let the sausage flavors gel, nor access to pork fatback for sausage (which I find totally unnecessary based on making many different sauages) nor the time to grind fresh lamb. 

Evem without these, though, the recipe turned out really well, so I thought I’d post my 30 minute modification.

Michael Symon’s Scallops with Lamb “sausage” and Beans
serves 4–6, easily halved

1 lb. ground lamb
1 T. bacon drippings (optional, but a good substitute for fatback)
1 t. smoked paprika (pretty easy to find these days)
1/2 tsp. cayenne (or to taste, or 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper)
1/4. tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder (the book specifies ancho, but we used the Cook’s Illustrated-recommended Spice Island chili powder)
1 t. kosher salt, plus additional for scallops
1/4 t. sugar

1 TB. Olive Oil
1 lb. large (1−2 oz.each) scallops
1 fresh chilie (the book says fresno, but we used jalapeño)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup cannellini beans
grated zest and juice of one orange (we used a few clementines we had on hand)
1 cup chicken stock (we used Symon’s recipe, frozen into ice cube trays for convenience)
2 TB. torn fresh mint leaves

(1) Sautee 1 clove of garlic and 1 shallot in oil and optional bacon drippings on medium heat.
(2) Meanwhile, mix lamb with next six ingredients.
(3) Add lamb and sautee 4 minutes until slightly crispy. Remove lamb.
(4) Increase heat slightly, blot scallops very dry with paper towels to enhance browning, season them with salt, and add them to the pan.
(5) Sautee scallops 1–2 minutes until brown, add additional garlic, shallot and chili, flip scallops, and sautee another minute or two until brown.
(6) Remove scallops. Add orange juice, beans and stock, then simmer 3 minutes. 
(7) Remove from heat, divide among 4–6 bowls, top with scallops, and add orange zest & mint for garnish.

This pairs perfectly with a rustic bread with butter.

One advantage Symon has for this cookbook is his Greek heritage. While there are plenty of French, Italian and Mexican cookbooks around, there are very few that take advantage of Greek staples such as lamb, haloumi cheese and mint. Symon includes plenty of recipes from his mom and grandmother that utilize these as well as intriguing biographical sections and useful techniches such as the use of warm vinaigrettes.

As fans of Symon’s restaurants, we would highly recommend this book. And we’re very much looking forward to making his grouper, walleye, braised beef and hanger steak (once we make the pickles) recipes.

And to prove our Symon fan cred, here’s a snapshot of a misspelling of his name on Iron Chef that pissed us off so much that we had to rewind our DVR and photograph it:

Live to Cook!