Scallops with cima di rapa

For the lentils: place the lentils, chopped garlic and sage in a small saucepan with enough water to cover them to twice their depth. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain if necessary and set aside.

Crush the fennel and chilli together in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and lightly fry the fennel seeds, chilli and garlic for 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the cima di rapa stalks in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then add the leaves and cook for a futher 2 minutes. Once the cima di rapa is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan with the fennel seeds, chilli and garlic. Lightly fry for a few more minutes.

Remove the cima di rapa mixture from the pan and chop finely. Put it back in the pan along with the lentils and heat through with a splash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the scallops: if using scallops in their shells, remove from the shells, trim the scallops and reserve 4 cleaned shells for serving. Rub the scallops with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan and fry the scallops for 1-2 minutes on each side until slightly caramelised and just cooked.

To serve, pile the cima di rapa into the cleaned scallop shells, spoon over a few lentils and top with the scallops. Garnish with the parsley and capers.

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