An almost one-pot meal with style and easy to prepare. Springy green asparagus, delicate scallops, and spicy Spanish chorizo for a kick. Served with pasta. A real weekday meal treat. No big cleaning afterward.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- about 10 oz (285 g) tagliatelle or fettuccine
- 8 oz (225 g) Spanish dry chorizo, diced into 1/2 inch (1,2 cm) cubes
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 10 asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
- 25-30 small sea scallops, with “coral ” attached and patted dry
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Preparation:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo cubes and cook them until they start browning a bit on the edges. Add the shallot slices and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes longer or until shallots are limp. Transfer chorizo cubes and shallots to a plate and keep it warm.
Save any chorizo drippings in the skillet. Return it to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook asparagus pieces for about 5 minutes or until asparagus are tender but still “al dente”. Stir occasionally. Add the chopped garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer asparagus and garlic to the plate with the chorizos. Keep it warm.
Cook pasta in a large pot with boiling salted water until al dente, or according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup/120 ml pasta water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and keep it warm.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet used for the chorizo to medium-high heat. Add the bay scallops and cook them just until they are opaque. Season with salt and pepper. Add chorizo and asparagus to the scallops. Sprinkle it with lemon juice. Toss pasta with the chorizo/asparagus mix. Add the reserved pasta water bit by bit. Warm everything up over low heat. Taste for additional seasoning. Add more pasta water if you prefer it saucier. Serve it with Parmesan on top.
