JHW and I made a trip to see my folks last weekend. While we were there, we hit the Madison Farmer’s Market. If you live within 3 hours of Madison and haven’t been, I encourage you to make a day of it. It’s absolutely worth it.

Among the many items we procured for our larders, one of them was Squid Ink Linguine. Friday night, we had the lovely Miss ESR over for dinner. She brought chardonnay. I’d picked up some fat bay scallops. This is what we made (and please use real saffron!):

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of chardonnay to a slow boil. Meanwhile, bring 4 to 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a deep pot.

Once the chardonnay is reduced to about half it’s original volume, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over high heat in a large skillet. Make a mixture of: 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of crushed saffron threads or saffron powder. Season both sides of 9 bay scallops very lightly with the mixture. Add the scallops to the sautee pan and sear about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes a side, until caramelization begins. We don’t want to cook the scallops all the way through, we just want to sear both sides so they have a nice light-brown crust. Once you’ve seared the scallops, immediately remove them from the pan and place on a cool plate.

By now, the chardonnay should be reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Lower the heat to medium-high. Add to the chardonnay reduction: 1 large shallot sliced very finely, 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, sliced finely, and 1 teaspoon of saffron powder or crushed saffron threads, and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper. Sautee about three minutes – the garlic is fragrant, shallots, and saffron should be very fragrant and the sauce should be a rich orange color. Next, add the juice and zests of four large lemons and 3 cups of heavy cream. Whisk immediately to prevent the cream from curdling. Simmer about 5 to 7 minutes – until the sauce has reduced to about 2 cups – whisking continuously.

After the cream sauce has reduced to 2 cups, add the scallops and 4 scallions chopped into 1/4 inch pieces to the sauce, making sure the scallops are completely submerged in the sauce, and lower the heat to medium.

Add 9 ounces of fresh squid ink linguine (or other fresh linguine) to the salted water and boil for 6 to 8 minutes while the scallops simmer gently in the cream sauce.

When pasta is al dente, drain the water, place pasta into 3 serving bowls, dress pasta with bay scallops (3 to a bowl), and pour cream sauce generously over the pasta and scallops. You may consider garnishing with cheese, but this is a very, very rich sauce by itself and you may find that all but the strongest cheeses are overwhelmed by its flavors.

sustenance /2007-09-30 by brandon e. heckman/

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