Chris's Favorite Pasta #9

Chris and I first had this pasta at our friend Peter's dinner party (along with an incredible beef tenderloin, German chocolate cake, and multiple other delicacies!), and it's quickly entered our regular weekly rotation. The recipe, Scallop Sauce with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Hot Pepper from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, is a quick and remarkably delicious dish. Chris doesn't like scallops much, so we substituted frozen shrimp (try the Medium Contessa variety, uncooked, peeled, and deveined), with excellent results. Per usual, we quadrupled the amount of garlic in the dish and ramped up the spice factor. If you love parmesan, garlic, spice, and seafood, this is a pasta dish you definitely need to try!

I would recommend a chilled California or Australian chardonnay with this dish, unoaked if possible. Sauvignon Blanc would be another great option, as would my great Austrian favorite, Gruner Veltliner. Chris and I had this with Jacob's Creek Chardonnay a week ago, and it was a great match.

PS: if you use scallops, use the smallest ones you can find, and preferably ones that haven't been frozen. If you use bay scallops, cut them into pieces as small as the nail on your little finger.


1 pound fresh bay or deep sea scallops or shrimp
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic chopped very fine (or more, if you're a garlic-lover)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Chopped hot chili pepper, to taste (we love using 8-9 serranos, or a bunch of Thai birds-eye chilis)
Salt
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta (spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, is the best choice here)
1/2 cup dry, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted in the oven or in a skillet

1. Wash the scallops in cold water, pat thoroughly with a cloth towel, and cut up into pieces about 3/8 inch thick (or follow the instructions on the package of frozen shrimp)

2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until the garlic colors a light gold. Add the parsley and hot pepper. Stir once or twice, then add the scallops/shrimp and one or two large pinches of salt. Turn the heat up to high, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the scallops/shrimp lose their shine and turn a flat white/pink. Do not overcook the scallops/shrimp or they will become tough. Taste and correct for salt and hot pepper. If the scallops shed a lot of liquid, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, and boil down the watery liquid. Return the scallops/shrimp to the pan, turn them over quickly, then turn off the heat.

3. Toss thoroughly with cooked drained spaghettini, add the bread crumbs, toss again, and serve at once!

Asian Cold-Eze

This recipe for Chicken Soup with Jasmine Rice and Ginger, from Food and Wine: an Entire Year of Recipes 2006, is the perfect remedy for anything that ails you. Chris recently came down with a case of the stomach flu, and he was able to keep this down better than saltines! The chicken broth and rice provide low-stress nourishment, and the ginger helps alleviate any nausea. The recipe requires very little work or prep--just a bit of time on the stove.

Don't be scared of the fish sauce--it may stink a bit, but you won't notice it (in a bad way!) in the broth. The Three Crabs brand is fantastic, and can be had at any asian or international grocery.

Instead of poaching individual chicken breasts, I prefer to just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat. If you'd prefer to prepare the meat yourself, take 1-2 chicken breasts and poach them in a bit of water or broth, then let them cool and shred the meat.





4 servings

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp jasmine rice, rinsed if necessary
4 cups water
One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled (you can do this easily with the edge of a spoon)
3 cups of chicken stock, preferably low-sodium and organic
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
Pinch each salt and sugar
1/2-1 cup shredded cooked chicken
2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the rice with the water. Bring the rice to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender and porridge-like, about 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut the piece of peeled ginger into matchsticks: thinly slice the ginger crosswise into coins, then stack the slices. Cut the slices lengthwise into thin slivers.

3. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, salt and sugar to the rice, bring the soup to a simmer and continue cooking over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in half of the ginger slivers and simmer the soup for 10 minutes longer.

4. Ladle the chicken soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the shredded chicken, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and the remaining slivered ginger. Serve at once.

Make ahead: The recipe can be made through Step 3 and refrigerated overnight. When reheating the soup, add extra stock to adjust the consistency.