Friday, February 15, 2013

Risotto with Bay Scallops

Bay Scallops!  Who knew?  These are so much better than sea scallops for our family.  I was nervous trying this out, because I know Aaron doesn't like sea scallops, and I was afraid we were going to crash and burn.  This, however, was a huge success.  This was delicious, easy, and although requires a lot of stirring, it's risotto and totally delicious.  I have tried risotto before, and I didn't let it cook enough, because I was worried about over cooking it.  This time I didn't have that problem.  This was creamy and delicious.  We found this recipe in Michael Symon's Live to Cook cookbook.  Aaron and I gave this an 8, and the boys, who said it was their favorite rice ever, gave this a 9.

2 T olive oil
1 onion, mined
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c diced prosciutto (I used bacon)
1 c Arborio rice
1 generous pinch of saffron
1/2 c dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
3-4 c chicken stock, kept warm
1/2 lb bay scallops
1/4 c sliced flat leaf parsley leaves
1 T unsalted butter
2 T grated Parmesan

Heat the olive oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and sweat it for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and sweat it for 2 minutes more.  Add the bacon and cook until it crisps, about 1 minute (I had to cook this longer than 1 minute so my bacon would crisp).  Add the rice and let it toast slightly in the hot fat, about 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. 
Reduce the heat to low, add the saffron and wine, and stir continuously until most of the wine has cooked off.  Add 1 c of the stock and stir continuously until the liquid has cooked off, about 3 minutes.  Add another cup of stock and repeat the process.  Taste the rice.  Continue to add stock in 1/4 c increments until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy.
Add the scallops and continue to stir for 2 minutes, or until the scallops are heated through.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, butter, and cheese and serve immediately.

2 comments:

  1. Do sea scallops taste that much different than bay scallops??

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was actually real good. But after I ate the leftovers at work, I left the container at work over the weekend. That was NOT a good choice :(

    aaron

    ReplyDelete