This was a bit of a tester to see if it worked, usually the sauce is saffron with fish stock and
Linguine with Scallops and Basil Pesto
cream. But not today – today is a cheat’s meal. The linguine is straightforward, unless you make your own which I have done before and will only do again when the mood takes; pesto you can also make yourself or use it from a jar (well why not provided it’s good quality). The only real cooking in this are the scallops, and if you do it right they can taste sweet, caramelised and full of intense flavours of the sea. Added with the pesto there is a sort of earthiness that works well, even if it is not as light a saffron sauce. If you would like garlic bread to go with this you will find it here.
INGREDIENTS
- 50gm linguine per person
- 3-4 scallops per person (depending upon your generosity)
- Butter
- 3 tablespoons spoons pesto.
- Seasoning
METHOD
- Add a good pinch of salt to the boiling water, drop in the linguine and cook according to the instructions.
- Gently warm the pesto sauce in a saucepan, adding a tablespoon or two of the linguine water to thin it out.
- Put enough butter in the frying pan to cook the scallops and get it nice and hot, then add the scallops. Don’t play with them. Leave on one side for three minutes and then turn them over cooking for a further thirty seconds.
- Drain the pasta, mix in the pesto, plate and put on the scallops , pour some of the butter you cooked the scallops in over the top .
Cooking At Zero Degrees 