Seared Scallops with Fennel, Celery Leaf & White Bean Vinaigrette

Directions

1. White Bean Vinaigrette
2. Add chicken stock and garlic to saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to poach garlic.
3. Add beans and simmer, just to heat through. Drain beans but reserve cooking liquid.
4. Add beans to a blender along with the vinegar, hot sauce, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to puree. Drizzle in your olive oil. You want the consistency of the puree to be not quite like a sauce but thinner than hummus. Add more reserved cooking liquid as necessary.
5. Taste it. You should sense the vinegar. Add move vinegar, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper then set aside.

1. Fennel/Celery Leaf/Parsley Salad and Scallops
2. Prep your fennel. Shave one half of the bulb very thinly on a mandoline, set aside.
3. Cut the other half of the bulb into 1/8 inch thick slices. Toss with 1 Tbs of the olive oil, the sambuca, salt and pepper. Roast in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, until caramelized
4. Pick all the leaves off of the bunch of celery, use the stalks for another use.
5. Pick the leaves off of the 1/4 bunch of parsley. Try to pick smallish tender leaves but if they are large, tear in half.
6. Mix together parsley, celery leaves, fennel fronds, and shaved fennel. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
7. Heat a heavy bottomed saute pan over high heat until very hot. Add canola or grapeseed oil and immediately add scallops. Sear for 2-3 minutes without touching. Flip scallops and add butter. Baste scallops with butter for another 2-3 minutes until cooked to your liking.
8. Dress fennel/celery leaf/parsley salad with lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
9. Warm white bean vinaigrette in microwave. Smear a little of the puree on each plate then top with one scallop if you are doing an appetizer or two scallops for a main course. Garnish plate with a little pile of the salad and scatter the caramelized fennel around.