Scallop and Mushroom Pasta

The development of this recipe started simply, with a "hey, scallops seem cool," while passing them in the grocery store. They're a little bit pricey so I thought they deserved a nice, well-rounded recipe. The scallops have a sweetness not found in a lot of seafood, and the portabellas bring a little saltiness to balance things out. A little bit of seasoning keeps things from being boring, but not enough to outshine our special guests scallops and mushrooms.

The ingredients are pretty simple, like I mentioned, not to outshine the main ingredients.

Start out by bringing a pot of water to a boil and cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil. Mushrooms need room to cook and shouldn't be crowded in the pan. They'll darken and shrink a bit, and release some brown liquid when they're cooked. Drain and set aside.

Next cook the scallops in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic. Scallops cook pretty quickly, particularly these little Patagonian ones I chose. We cooked them just long enough to become opaque and a little bit crispy on the outside (because that's what my fiancé prefers).

Now mix in the butter and then the mushrooms.

Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Then mix with pasta.

Garnish with some parmesan cheese if you desire. This makes maybe 4 servings. I hope you enjoy!

Scallop & Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. of your favorite GF (penne) pasta
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz. sliced baby portabellas
• 3/4 lb. scallops (if frozen, thawed)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbs. butter (margarine, vegan, whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain, return to pot. 
2. Cook mushrooms in a pan with 1 tbs. olive oil over medium heat until tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook garlic and scallops in a pan with 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat until scallops are opaque. 
4. Mix in butter and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley.
5. Toss mixture with pasta. Garnish with parmesan cheese (optional) to serve.