Pappardelle pasta with scallops and saffron sauce

• 5 minutes to prepare • 15 minutes to cook • Serves 4

Spoil Yourself beauty therapy

 

Scallops are delectable, tender pieces of shellfish, one of my favorite gift from the sea.

They are like sea cherries: I am always in the mood for them and I can always have just one more.
They used to be the special dish I picked from the menu when eating out, but since I discovered that preparing them at home is not difficult...I started enjoying them as often as I can!

Today we are going to spoil ourselves: pappardelle fresh pasta, scallops and saffron. Three precious ingredients for a delicate and sophisticated first course.
The recipe of these pappardelle is easy to be followed but may be employed for a special occasion, such as a formal dinner.
It is a special dish in which pasta is mixed with fine ingredients, so...no failure admittable, this first course is sure to delight your guests.
This recipe is a simplified, and slightly modified, version of chef Cucchiaio's.

Here are ingredients for the 4-serving recipe:

 

400 g Pappardelle fresh pasta
12 scallops
1 sachet saffron powder
200 ml fish broth

EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Start by preparing the pasta sauce: detach the white part of the scallops from their red part - called coral - and keep corals aside. Rinse and cut the scallops into thin slices
2. In a pan pour 2 tablespoons of EVO oil and add the corals. Cook for a minute, then add the fish broth already warm. Add the saffron powder too, a pinch of salt and cook over high heat for 5 minutes
3. Blend everything with a blender until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous sauce
4. Boil water in a pot, add salt and once started to bubble, pour Pappardelle pasta. Follow the time instructions reported on the package: usually Pappardelle pasta is ready in about 5 minutes. At that time, pasta should be al dente
5. Meanwhile, pour 2 tablespoons of EVO oil in a pan and braise the scallops for 2 minutes. Then season with salt
6. Drain well the pasta and pour it into the pan with the scallops. Pour the saffron sauce and stir over high heat for a couple of minutes to flavor Pappardelle pasta. Serve hot!

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage;
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.
(Sir Walter Raleigh)