Temps have dropped dramatically in the last few days and the tomato plants that haven't already given up (funny how they each have their schedules) will do so at any moment. The herbs won't be far behind, so I'm in that feverish mode of preserving what's left of summer on the dinner table while we get the house ready for the cold, wet winter predicted ahead. I'm trying to use everything I put so much love into growing. Last night's dinner was just such a meal. A simple idea for a scallop preparation from one of Marcella Hazan's books that I turned into a pasta dish.
A quick pasta dish where the shortcuts weren't the ingredients or the technique, but the timing. That is, although any pasta in the pantry would have been fine, the choice of angel hair here was pretty strategic. My prep began with making the salad, filling a pot with water and assembling the sauce ingredients in a small skillet. The sauce would need about 20 minutes to come together, so it cooked and the water came to a boil while I served the salad. When ready for the main course, I seared the scallops and cooked the angel hair simultaneously. Each needed less than four minutes, so we had a hot and fresh, light but luxurious a la minute style dish on the table about net five after removing the salad plates. The entire meal was cooked and served in just 30 minutes.
This recipe is for two servings.
6 scallops
olive oil
salt and pepper
***
2 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 tblsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and coarse ground black pepper
olive oil
***
5 ounces angel hair pasta
more olive oil
a small clove of garlic
fresh parsley
Trim and rinse the scallops, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
In a small skillet, soften the minced garlic and rosemary in about a tablespoon of olive oil, about one minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
When the sauce is nearly ready, sear the scallops in a new skillet and cook the pasta in boiling water seasoned with salt and treated with olive oil in order to prevent this delicate pasta from clumping. Drain, and toss with garlic, parsley and just enough olive oil to keep the strands separate.