Seared Scallops with Fava Beans, Maitake Mushrooms and Lime-Ginger Vinaigrette

I usually get my cooking inspiration one of two ways.  I either go with a specific dish I have been craving, or I just go to the market and see what's good.  There were some awesome looking fava beans at the farmer's market this weekend, so I wanted to build a dish around them.  Later that day I picked up maitake mushrooms from the Japanese market.  The next day I got some amazing wild-caught U-10 scallops (that means under 10 per pound) at the supermarket, and Sunday dinner was a done deal.  I first blanched the fava beans in salted water, shelled them, and sauteed the mushrooms in a pan.  Then I seared the scallops in a grill pan.  I finished the dish with a vinaigrette made with lime juice and grated ginger to cut through the richness of the scallops and mushrooms.  This dish is what cooking is all about...showing off really good ingredients with straightforward techniques (and charging exorbitant prices for it).

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