Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Scallops over orzo with spinach

I didn't cook all weekend due to the unforeseen dangers of a slightly stale loaf of bread and a really sharp bread knife. On the plus side, Sunday was the first known instance of anyone actually cooking anything from the blog. If you've made anything, I'd love to read a comment about it!

This dinner was from a month or two ago-- it was the dinner when I first started taking pictures of appealing things I made.


It turns out that scallops are very easy-- this was a first attempt, and it turned out deliciously. I always love incorporating wine into sauces because then the rest of the bottle compliments dinner nicely.

A note of caution: Do all your prep work here first-- once you have everything on the stove, it goes VERY quickly, and scallops are easy to overcook. There's no time to snip herbs or smash garlic once things are cooking.

Sea scallops over spinach and orzo (serves 2)
6-10 sea scallops (defrosted), more or less depending on size
2-5 cloves garlic, smashed
Bunch of fresh parsley, washed and snipped
White wine (a nice buttery chardonnay would work well here)
Salt
Pepper
1/4 package or so orzo or other little bitty pasta
Olive oil
Spinach (a few cups-- it reduces a lot in the pan)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat heavy skillet over med-high heat with olive oil until oil is shimmery. Blot scallops dry with paper towel; sprinkle salt, pepper, and parsley on both sides. Add scallops to pan; they cook very quickly. Flip as soon as they no longer stick (2 minutes.) They should cook through in less than 5 minutes; it is very easy to overcook them. When both sides are seared, remove to a plate.

3. Add a little more olive oil, the smashed garlic, and the rest of the parsley. Saute briefly, then add 1/2 c. wine. Bring to boil; reduce slightly, then stir into the drained pasta.

4. Add just a little more olive oil to pan; saute spinach until wilted.

5. Plate the pasta, the spinach, and put the scallops on top.


Enjoy with the rest of the bottle and a pleasant dinner companion.

1 comment:

  1. Or, lacking a pleasant dinner companion, your husband.

    ReplyDelete