The people who know me, know that I enjoy being in the kitchen. I was instilled with a love of cooking (and food!) from my Italian mum who I loved watching cook. She rarely followed recipes and her food is legendary amongst our family and friends. I am lucky to have had such a teacher to learn from. I now take inspiration from my travels and like making my own variations. One section of my blog will be dedicated to some of these recipes that I hope you will enjoy too.
First up...
Reginette con capesante e pomodorini (Reginette with scallops and tomatoes)
This is the most simple and quick dish to put together but oh so tasty! On my last trip to Venice, I was taken out by some friendly locals who recommended the restaurant where I ordered this dish. I loved it so much despite not being a big fan of fish that I had to try and recreate it when I got home.
Reginette are a speciality pasta in Italy which are long, wide pappardelle-like pasta with a frilled edge. Outside of Italy these are likely to be pretty hard to find, but it is possible for you to make your own or find an alternative. ‘Pappardelle’ are an easy alternative, or you can buy some fresh lasagne sheets and cut down with a frilled roller.
Ingredients
500g fresh pasta or “Reginette”
scallops
200g Cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of Garlic
Olive oil
500g reginette
1. Boil the water and salt in a saucepan. Once the water has boiled add in the fresh pasta. Note: When adding the salt to the water, make sure that it is a handful - I read a fantastic quote about cooking pasta that stated that the water has to be as salty as the Mediterranean....a pinch just doesn’t cut it! The salt helps the pasta cook better and ensures that it doesn’t stick together.
2. Just before you add the pasta to the water. Cut two cloves of garlic into quarters and add them to a wok with a little olive oil on a high heat. When the olive oil starts to sizzle, add in the halved cherry tomatoes and toss for a minute or so.
3. Add the scallops to the tomato and garlic and allow them to cook. This should be around 2-3 minutes. Add a little sprinkling of salt while cooking, and if you would like this to be a little spicier then add some spice at this stage.
4. Drain the pasta and add to the wok, mixing all of the ingredients together. One common mistake that a lot of non-Italians make is that they put the plain pasta in the plate ready to be served and then add the sauce on-top.
5. Plate up and serve with a drink of choice (such as a cool glass of white wine).
I hope that you enjoy this recipe. Make sure that you check back or sign up to receive email alerts and not miss my next recipe which is the Classic Italian Focaccia! If you have any requests, be sure to add them to the comment box below.