Scallops with white beans, tomatoes, crispy prosciutto and arugula

These days, television is jammed packed with pretentious morons who preen about and squawk about the things they preen about and squawk about as if they are the only people with any wisdom at all about the given subject at hand. And no, I’m not talking about the talking heads at either Fox News or MSNBC although I easily could be. No, what bothers me is the second tier hosts of the Food Network and the Travel Channel shows. Watching the ridiculous competitions of aspiring celebrity chefs or food spokes models jabbering on and on about whatever they (or in reality, their production assistants) are cooking sets my teeth on edge.

Don’t get me wrong. Mario Batali is a real genius and I’ve been to some of his places (Babbo -- duck breast, medium rare with a raspberry reduction served with a heavenly sage risotto). Ditto chef, writer and world class raconteur Anthony Bourdain (Les Halles -- steak frites, medium rare – ‘natch). But for my money, the reigning genius is Jamie Oliver, who comes off as almost autistic in his devotion to food and its preparation. His focus is so laser sharp he almost appears to be channeling The Almighty.

This recipe comes from page 160 of The Naked Chef Takes Off, published in 2000. Like most of Jamie’s dishes, there are a lot of flavors and textures that work in a most harmonious fashion. It’s a very simple recipe with ingredients you can get at the neighborhood Trader Joes: scallops, tomatoes, anchovies, white beans from a can, prosciutto, arugula, lemon juice and olive oil.

To start, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Quarter your tomatoes and season them with a bit of oregano. Let them go skin side down in the oven for about 15 minutes. Next, put the prosciutto in the pan next to the tomatoes at let it go for another 15 minutes or so until the prosciutto is all crispy and happy and the tomatoes are roasted through. While that’s happening….

Sauté some garlic in olive oil (no, you don’t have to use EVOO, that’s for salads) and your anchovies for a minute or two, then add a can of white beans (cannellini beans are what the recipe calls for but I’ve used navy beans in a pinch. I’ve even thought about trying chick peas next time. The extra nuttiness might work). Add a bit of white wine, and then once everything is heated through, mash the beans into a course puree. Once that’s done and the tomatoes and prosciutto are resting…

Sear off the scallops in olive oil. They should be dry before you cook them or else they won’t get that caramelized happiness you need to make this dish work. Two minutes a side should be sufficient. Now, it’s time to assemble.

I typically serve this in bowls just because the presentation looks so much better. Beans go in as the base. Then, add the scallops. Then top with the roasted tomatoes and crispy prosciutto, crumbled up like bacon bits. As a finishing touch, top with a bit of arugula and dress the whole thing with a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil (now you can use the EVOO). In my dressing, I usually add a bit of kosher salt as an emulsifier.

The result? Simple. Easy. Relatively inexpensive. Damn tasty. And one of the very reasons I think Jamie is a genius.