Linguini with Scallops

Introduction

This dish is remarkably easy, and I've found that it tends to impress people. I serve it with some warm sliced bread and a side salad of dark greens in a separate bowl. If I'm putting on a fancy dinner I'll top the salad with a homemade vinaigrette, crumbled goat cheese, and candied walnuts, and serve a dry white wine with the meal. Chardonnays tend to pair well with this dish, or a dry sparkling wine if you want to be especially ostentatious. Yellow by Yellowglen is my favorite inexpensive champagne alternative.

Splash warning: Don't serve this unless you're willing to wash your white tablecloth. This can get a little messy.

This recipe serves four abundantly, or six for lighter servings.

Ingredients

• Linguini for 4 (a bundle about 1.5" in diameter)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (I prefer the light variety)
• 1 8-oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups (about 3/4 lb) scallops - whole bay scallops or sea scallops cut in half
• 1/4 cup pepperoni, diced
• 5-7 leaves of fresh basil, cut into small ribbons
• 1 1/2 cup fresh curly parsley
• 4-6 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

• Large, deep frying/saute pan
• Stock pot
• Tongs

Preparation

Note: Start the water for pasta when you start the sauce. The water should come to a boil while your scallops are cooking. Don't worry too much about timing, it's okay for one part or another to sit for a minute or two until you catch up.

Sauce

• Put olive oil and garlic in your pan and saute gently for about one minute.
• Add the scallops and cook on medium to medium-high until the scallops' flesh begins to appear opaque instead of translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add in the white wine, tomatoes (with all liquid from the can) and pepperoni.
• Return to heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

Pasta

• Cook according to the directions on the box. Pasta should be slightly al dente (firm).
• Drain but do not rinse.

Combining

• Dump the thoroughly-drained pasta into the saute pan. Use the tongs to toss it until the sauce is well mixed with the pasta.
• Finely chop the parsley. This shouldn't be done too far in advance.
• Toss the parsely into the pasta and sauce mixture and serve immediately. I recommend using plates with a slight curve or lip to them to prevent messes.

Cleanup & Leftovers

This dish can be put in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for one day, but I don't recommend keeping it any longer than that. It reheats well in the microwave. Like all tomato-based dishes, it has the potential to stain tableware, so be sure to thoroughly rinse your plates if they are light in color.