Brown Butter Seared Scallops with Mushroom and Artichoke Risotto

I've had great risotto before. I actually really really love a good risotto and have made a few in my day. Ridiculously simple to make, it just doesn't get the credit or attention it deserves, in my opinion.

I'm no stranger to this beautiful short grain rice and I have long admired it's versatility. Although truth be told, I've only ever made risotto and arancini with it. But hallelujah! Once you see how wonderfully easy it is, you may be inspired to cook it more often.

Still, risotto isn't something of an everyday thing for us and it only recently grabbed my attention when we ventured out to a wonderfully chill spot in Hawi called Bamboo. We've passed it many times before as Hawi is one of the most reknown stops during the North Kohala scenic mountain drive on the way to the beaches in North Kohala. This is our 'hood' or at least, it's one of the charming little towns as we head to our favorite beaches. We stop for coffee, shaved ice, tacos (oh yea...tacos) and now we know just how special this little hole in the wall is, too.

They have a house special that is served with the fresh-caught local ahi seared tuna, crispy tempura shrimp and seared scallops on a bed of lemon coconut risotto. I mean, wtf? How good does that sound. It is to die for. Inspiring, obviously.

Reasonably priced, with super friendly Hawai'ian ladies that run the show here, its easy to see why it is especially popular with the locals. But it must be even more of a treat for any tourist that may accidentally-on-purpose stumble upon this super relaxing spot during a trip to the Hawai'i Island. Every bit as awesome as it sounds, I assure you.

Naturally, I could not wait to do this dish at home! Tsunami had something equally awesome for his main but all throughout the meal he kept eyeing my dish somewhat longingly. I finally couldn't take the sad eyes anymore and let him have the rest. And it's all he's talked about since.

We do not lack a 5 star dining menu in our house and we have found a certain thrill in being able to cook a meal like this at home for a fraction of the price. But we've also had family visiting the last several months so we've had plenty of opportunity to try our chops at some spectacular sunset dining moments of our own. 

I mean, the seafood here on the "big" Island is really exceptional and we are lucky enough to have a Costco that gets plenty of it. From King crab to super fresh poke, it's worth the effort of driving to the other side of the island if you have a hankering for something special but don't want to spend a few hundred bucks just for something ok... cuz, like anywhere else, you can certainly run into this experience on the island, too.

Alas, my story grows long so let's cut to the yumalicious chase, shall we?

This dish has two main parts:

Scallops:

• 3-4 scallops per person
• garlic powder
• salt, pepper
• butter
• coconut oil

Risotto:

• 1 cup of Arborio rice (risotto)
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of white wine
• 2 tbsp butter or olive oil or both
• 1 small onion or half a medium size onion, diced finely (shallots or leeks are awesome, too!)
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 4-5 mushrooms, sliced thin
• 3-4 artichoke hearts quartered (optional)
• sprig of fresh thyme, stems removed, leaves chopped
• sprig of fresh oregano, stems removed, leaves chopped
• zest of a lemon, for garnish
• fresh chives, for garnish
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, more for serving

*Secret key ingredient: Better than Bouillon Beef paste, about 1/2 tsp per cup of liquid mixed into each cup of warm stock or liquid. I do this as I go because I never know how much stock I'll actually need. They have lots of flavors, even a Vegan veggie base, so if that's the flavor profile you want, go ahead and rock it.

Now the beauty of it is that risotto can be made to have any flavor profile you choose. I'm doing a classic chicken stock despite this being a scallop dish simply because they did it that way at the restaurant and the depth of flavor was delicious. Secondly, I happen to have homemade chicken stock in the fridge and that certainly saves me a bit of time. Also, my chicken stock was made with white wine for a French onion soup I had made earlier so this was wonderfully serendipitous. You really can use what you have on hand. And the Beef flavored concentrate I mentioned above, just added a bit of depth but I could have easily kept to an all chicken or seafood base as well.

A word and hint about Better than Bouillon: Another great hack that Tsunami's mother introduced me to recently was this awesome secret ingredient I will NEVER be without again in the pantry. BtB, let's just call it that for short, is just what it says it is. It is WAY BETTER than bouillon ever could be. And I swear to Julia, it has been my secret on almost ever meal I've made in the last few weeks. I can buy it in the larger jars at Costco, which is worth every penny, as it can be used to make a quick stock or broth but even more importantly, it can take your own homemade stocks and broth to a whole new level. A little goes a very long way and you do always need a hot liquid to dissolve it properly so the best tip that Momster gave me was to always mix it up in a different vessel so you can be sure it has dissolved properly, then add it to your stock or sauce or whatever. Seriously. We've made gravy, soups, z steak roasts, you name it... And last night, I used it in the risotto and because of the mushrooms, it really enhanced the depth of flavor a great deal. I keep both the beef and chicken flavors on hand at all times. It's THAT good. Actually, I keep all flavors by BtB on hand as it really is a great kitchen staple.

Steps for an awesome risotto:

1. Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, thyme and oregano in a little butter on medium heat until the onions are just starting to become translucent.
2. Add a cup of uncooked Arborio rice to the pan and mix well with the aromatics.
3. Add 1 cup of white wine and continue to stir on medium until all of the liquid has been absorbed. This is pretty much the only rule in risotto! No more liquid until the first bit is absorbed. That's it. The magic. If you can chill and be patient, this will turn out pretty perfectly. Also, the heat may need to be turned down a bit just so it is simmering gently. You do not want it to stick or burn so stirring and monitoring it the whole time is also pretty key. Don't try to multi task here. 
4. Once the wine is absorbed, add a cup of chicken stock (with 1/2 tsp of Better than Bouillon added in) and repeat this process. You will do a minimum of 4 cups of liquid, including the wine, and may even need a fifth so I have at least 4 cups of stock on hand before starting. With each addition of liquid, you will see the rice get plumper as you go and you don't want it too al dente nor do you want it too mushy, so I find this 4 cup mark to be my personal "threshold of doneness".
5. When you add the 4th cup, that's when I start the scallops and stir the artichoke hearts into the risotto if you are having them. Once this has been absorbed, mix in the grated parmesan, turn down the heat to low or off (if serving right away) and cover with a lid.

Steps for the scallops:

1. Scallops need to be thawed, if frozen and patted dry with a paper towel. You want them very dry, which will help create a good sear. 
2. Season each side lightly with garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of coconut oil on medium high heat in a non stick pan.
4. Sear the scallops on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Scallops cook very fast and the key to a good sear is to put them in a hot pan and gently shake the pan to keep them from sticking. There is a bit of an art to cooking a scallop right and this is a guideline only because it may take longer with larger scallops or less time if you have smaller scallops. When they are brown, they are usually done, regardless. If you cook them too long, they become rubbery and gross. Personally, I never worry about undercooking scallops because I love them raw, as sushi, so I err to the side of caution so I don't overcook them and ruin the delicate flavor and texture.

A word and hint about parmesan: At my grocery store in the deli section, we have a cheese cabinet with specialty cheeses. Our store carries the little individually wrapped cheeses for lunches and snacks, etc. We have found that this is the best way to buy fresh parmesan because one little one ounce square is the equivalent to about a cup of grated parmesan! And it's super easy to grate the little squares because nothing goes to waste or gets too warm when you are grating up such a small hunk. It's ingenious, actually, and while we can only get one kind of parmesan this way, it's still such a great go-to kitchen hack that it's worth sharing, for sure. It also means that your parmesan stays fresher longer and doesn't get all hard once you open it up because you are just using what you need, when you need it.

Serve the scallops on a bed of risotto garnished with chives, more grated parmesan and the zest of a ripe lemon. Yes, the lemon zest is totally optional, but I like serving lemon wedges on the side because the pop of acid goes well with this rich risotto and the zest adds such a bright note that really makes the dish for me. Some people like nutmeg; I like lemon zest.