Fettuccini With Scallops in a Spinach and Mushroom Sauce
Fettuccini with Scallops in a Spinach and Mushroom Sauce
I've been really craving pasta lately for some reason, and I was thinking about what I already had on hand, which was mushrooms, and then as I was in the supermarket in the veggie isle, I started thinking about how well spinach and mushrooms go together, and then I saw some sundried tomatoes, and was thinking that it had been awhile since I had some of those, and from there the idea for this sauce started coming together. Now normally I don't purchase seafood from the supermarket, and try to only get it from a local fish market, but I wasn't going to drive all the way to Portland for a simple meal, so I was looking at what my local supermarket had, and the scallops looked pretty nice. I was also thinking about how to make the sauce more saucy, and then the idea of adding a can of minced clams in clam juice came to my mind, and also a can of diced tomatoes to compliment the sun dried tomatoes, and to simmer together to make a more watery sauce. The idea of using fettuccini came to me, because I knew that I needed a good sturdy pasta to go with the sauce. I knew something like angel hair, or even spaghetti would get lost and smothered in the bold flavours of this sauce.
I didn't want the scallops or the clams to be the focus of this dish, they were merely playing the supporting roll in this dish, the real stars and focus of the dish are the mushrooms and the sundried tomatoes, so I wanted my sauce to begin with them, and to build upon them. I like to build the sauces starting with a heated pan over med heat, to which I will add cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and sea salt, and then to that I will add a minced shallot, and five cloves of garlic also minced, and cook those until they are aromatic, and then build the sauce from there, with that base of olive, sea salt, garlic, and shallot. But with this dish, since the sun dried tomatoes are part of the focal point, I wanted to add those with the garlic and shallot, so that they could start cooking down and mingling with the aromatics, and then to that I would add thick sliced mushrooms and a heavy amount of seasonings, and more olive oil as needed (I think I used about a half of a cup of olive oil in this meal). The reason for cutting the mushrooms thick, is that I didn't want them to get lost in the sauce, because if you mushrooms are too thin, then they will cook down to nothing and get lost in the sauce. That is the base of the sauce that I built this dish upon. It ended up with an interesting balance of delicate and bold flavours, and had this beautiful earthy tones from the mushrooms. I didn't follow any recipe or idea that I had found in any cookbooks or online for this meal, this one was purely based on my instincts and knowledge of what flavours work together with each other, and how to build a dish from an vague idea to a elegant meal. There was also enough left overs for lunch tomorrow as well, which is nice.
Ingredients:
(In order of use)
I didn't want the scallops or the clams to be the focus of this dish, they were merely playing the supporting roll in this dish, the real stars and focus of the dish are the mushrooms and the sundried tomatoes, so I wanted my sauce to begin with them, and to build upon them. I like to build the sauces starting with a heated pan over med heat, to which I will add cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and sea salt, and then to that I will add a minced shallot, and five cloves of garlic also minced, and cook those until they are aromatic, and then build the sauce from there, with that base of olive, sea salt, garlic, and shallot. But with this dish, since the sun dried tomatoes are part of the focal point, I wanted to add those with the garlic and shallot, so that they could start cooking down and mingling with the aromatics, and then to that I would add thick sliced mushrooms and a heavy amount of seasonings, and more olive oil as needed (I think I used about a half of a cup of olive oil in this meal). The reason for cutting the mushrooms thick, is that I didn't want them to get lost in the sauce, because if you mushrooms are too thin, then they will cook down to nothing and get lost in the sauce. That is the base of the sauce that I built this dish upon. It ended up with an interesting balance of delicate and bold flavours, and had this beautiful earthy tones from the mushrooms. I didn't follow any recipe or idea that I had found in any cookbooks or online for this meal, this one was purely based on my instincts and knowledge of what flavours work together with each other, and how to build a dish from an vague idea to a elegant meal. There was also enough left overs for lunch tomorrow as well, which is nice.
(In order of use)
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Shallot mince
1 Shallot mince
3.5oz of sundried tomatoes sliced into strips
Enough Olive Oil to cover the bottom of the pan (add more as needed)
A dozen or so mushrooms cut into thick slices
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
dried oregano
dried parsley
dried basil
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatos with the juice
a few dashes of roasted garlic powder
.60lb of Scallops
6.5oz can of minced clams in juice
1lb of Fettuccini Noodles
Water for boiling the noodles.
1lb of Fettuccini Noodles
Water for boiling the noodles.
Recipe:
1. Heat a large wide pot of heavily salted water for the noodles over a med-high heat. When it becomes a rolling boil add the noodles and cook according to directions on the package. Continue with the rest of the steps while the noodles cook, and when ever they are done, drain them, and shock them in the colander with cold water so that they don't all clump together, and set aside.
2. In a large deep pan, heat over a med heat, enough olive oil to thickly coat the bottom of the pan. Then add a few pinches of sea salt, and swirl around to mix the salt and oil
3. Add once minced shallot, and 5 cloves of minced garlic, and 3.5oz of sun dried tomatoes (do not use the ones in oil) cut into strips. Heat until the tomatoes have began to soften and the garlic and shallot have become tender and aromatic.
4. Now add in about a dozen or so thickly sliced mushrooms (use whatever kind you like or have on hand), they will quickly absorb the oil, so add more as needed. This is where you will want to do your initial seasoning, these mushrooms will swallow seasoning, so don't be afraid to go a little over what you think might look right. Add in garlic the followed dried seasonings: Parsley, Oregano, and Basil (you can also use a premixed Italian Seasoning mix you you like), and fresh cracked black pepper. You will also want to add a bit more salt at this point. Toss these together really well, try to get the seasoning and oil on all of the mushrooms, this is where the primary flavour of the the dish is going to begin, and from here on out, how you will test the sauce for flavour will be by trying the mushrooms, because they are going to work as your flavour sponge. They will absorb the garlic, the shallot, the sun dried tomato flavours, as well as the oil and the seasonings that you just added, so let the flavour of your mushrooms guide you from here on.
5. When those mushrooms have softened and began to release their juices, you will now add one can of diced tomatoes with the juice (I used the Italian style diced tomatoes), if you want to dice your own tomatoes, remember that you will have to skin them, which is why it is just easier to go with the can option, because peeling tomatoes is not fun, but you also don't want the skins in the sauce. You will also add in a few dashes of roasted garlic powder at this point too. Mix everything together well, and turn the heat to 4 and let this simmer for a while.
6. When the sauce has reduced a bit, and the flavours have really begun to mingle and become friends, taste one of the mushrooms, and adjust seasonings as you need. At this point add in the spinach to the sauce, and mix it in well and cook it down a bit.
7. Add the scallops to the sauce, and stir and simmer. Simmer until the scallops are cooked through, stirring occasionally to get those flavours really blended. Remember though that you are not making a thick read spaghetti sauce, this should be a more runny sauce, and not a thick sauce.
8. When the scallops are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a bit, test the mushrooms and a scallop to see how the flavours are coming together, and adjust the seasonings as you need.
9. Add the clams and the juice to the empty pot that your noodles cooked in, and bring that to a simmer, then add your noodles back to the pot, and toss them in the clam juice until well blended. Minced clams in a can are already cooked, so the point here isn't to cook them, but rather to just give the noodles a little flavour and prepare them for this delicious sauce that they are about to receive.
10. Carefully pour the sauce over the noodles, and toss all of the ingredients together, until all of the noodles have been mixed with the ingredients of the sauce. Like I said this should be a thin and chunky sauce, not a thick red sauce like you would find in a jar in the pasta sauce isle of the supermarket, this is a sauce that is about showcasing the flavours of the ingredients, not about being thick and pureed. So embrace those beautiful chunks of tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach.
11. Serve on to the plates, making sure to get a little of all of the ingredients on each plate.
This was a beautiful dinner, and I highly suggest trying it yourself. Like I said the key to this dish is slowly building the sauce, each ingredient is important, and it is important that you are constantly tasting it as you go along, which is why there are no specific measurements for the seasonings, because you will know by taste what is the right amount, so add small amounts and build as your go. The sauce has a beautiful flavour with the tanginess of the sun dried tomatoes, the earthiness of the mushrooms, the umami of the salt and the seasonings, it all comes together to build this beautiful delicate yet bold flavour profile, that calls out for a thick noodle like a fettuccini or a linguini to embrace it. This is a wonderful Tuscan inspired pasta dish, and I highly recommend trying it for yourself. If you do please leave a comment and a picture of how yours turned out. Also remember all recipes are a mere guideline, so let your own tastes, and ideas help to mold your cooking.
The kitchen is a sacred place to me, it is a place that I spent a lot of time in with my mom as a kid bonding over food and flavours. So tonight in memory of my mom I had a goth music play list playing as I danced in the kitchen and came up with this amazing pasta dish. I wish my mom was still alive so I could cook her an amazing meal.
1. Heat a large wide pot of heavily salted water for the noodles over a med-high heat. When it becomes a rolling boil add the noodles and cook according to directions on the package. Continue with the rest of the steps while the noodles cook, and when ever they are done, drain them, and shock them in the colander with cold water so that they don't all clump together, and set aside.
2. In a large deep pan, heat over a med heat, enough olive oil to thickly coat the bottom of the pan. Then add a few pinches of sea salt, and swirl around to mix the salt and oil
3. Add once minced shallot, and 5 cloves of minced garlic, and 3.5oz of sun dried tomatoes (do not use the ones in oil) cut into strips. Heat until the tomatoes have began to soften and the garlic and shallot have become tender and aromatic.
4. Now add in about a dozen or so thickly sliced mushrooms (use whatever kind you like or have on hand), they will quickly absorb the oil, so add more as needed. This is where you will want to do your initial seasoning, these mushrooms will swallow seasoning, so don't be afraid to go a little over what you think might look right. Add in garlic the followed dried seasonings: Parsley, Oregano, and Basil (you can also use a premixed Italian Seasoning mix you you like), and fresh cracked black pepper. You will also want to add a bit more salt at this point. Toss these together really well, try to get the seasoning and oil on all of the mushrooms, this is where the primary flavour of the the dish is going to begin, and from here on out, how you will test the sauce for flavour will be by trying the mushrooms, because they are going to work as your flavour sponge. They will absorb the garlic, the shallot, the sun dried tomato flavours, as well as the oil and the seasonings that you just added, so let the flavour of your mushrooms guide you from here on.
5. When those mushrooms have softened and began to release their juices, you will now add one can of diced tomatoes with the juice (I used the Italian style diced tomatoes), if you want to dice your own tomatoes, remember that you will have to skin them, which is why it is just easier to go with the can option, because peeling tomatoes is not fun, but you also don't want the skins in the sauce. You will also add in a few dashes of roasted garlic powder at this point too. Mix everything together well, and turn the heat to 4 and let this simmer for a while.
6. When the sauce has reduced a bit, and the flavours have really begun to mingle and become friends, taste one of the mushrooms, and adjust seasonings as you need. At this point add in the spinach to the sauce, and mix it in well and cook it down a bit.
7. Add the scallops to the sauce, and stir and simmer. Simmer until the scallops are cooked through, stirring occasionally to get those flavours really blended. Remember though that you are not making a thick read spaghetti sauce, this should be a more runny sauce, and not a thick sauce.
8. When the scallops are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a bit, test the mushrooms and a scallop to see how the flavours are coming together, and adjust the seasonings as you need.
9. Add the clams and the juice to the empty pot that your noodles cooked in, and bring that to a simmer, then add your noodles back to the pot, and toss them in the clam juice until well blended. Minced clams in a can are already cooked, so the point here isn't to cook them, but rather to just give the noodles a little flavour and prepare them for this delicious sauce that they are about to receive.
10. Carefully pour the sauce over the noodles, and toss all of the ingredients together, until all of the noodles have been mixed with the ingredients of the sauce. Like I said this should be a thin and chunky sauce, not a thick red sauce like you would find in a jar in the pasta sauce isle of the supermarket, this is a sauce that is about showcasing the flavours of the ingredients, not about being thick and pureed. So embrace those beautiful chunks of tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach.
11. Serve on to the plates, making sure to get a little of all of the ingredients on each plate.
This was a beautiful dinner, and I highly suggest trying it yourself. Like I said the key to this dish is slowly building the sauce, each ingredient is important, and it is important that you are constantly tasting it as you go along, which is why there are no specific measurements for the seasonings, because you will know by taste what is the right amount, so add small amounts and build as your go. The sauce has a beautiful flavour with the tanginess of the sun dried tomatoes, the earthiness of the mushrooms, the umami of the salt and the seasonings, it all comes together to build this beautiful delicate yet bold flavour profile, that calls out for a thick noodle like a fettuccini or a linguini to embrace it. This is a wonderful Tuscan inspired pasta dish, and I highly recommend trying it for yourself. If you do please leave a comment and a picture of how yours turned out. Also remember all recipes are a mere guideline, so let your own tastes, and ideas help to mold your cooking.
The kitchen is a sacred place to me, it is a place that I spent a lot of time in with my mom as a kid bonding over food and flavours. So tonight in memory of my mom I had a goth music play list playing as I danced in the kitchen and came up with this amazing pasta dish. I wish my mom was still alive so I could cook her an amazing meal.
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