Shrimp with Spaghetti & Pine Nuts

First, let me start my acknowleding that the blog is sparse.  However - I do make meals, sometimes... This weeks is a perfect example.  I've cooked 2 of the past 3 nights - but have just not taken the time to post.  Between work, taking care of the husband & house, and studying for my exam that I'm taking on Saturday - its everything I can do to get a fresh meal on the table.  But I'm taking the time this morning to catch up on the posting.  I'll start with the least exciting and leave you with the fantastic meal in a separate post.

We all know by now that I love shrimp - I cook with it often.  In attempt to make something quick and maybe a bit different I tried out this recipe.  I used the opportunity to use up some pine nuts leftover from the prosciutto pasta.  To make a side note - we did not have pasta two nights in a row.  I made this meal last night - so there were a couple nights of pasta free eating.

It was pretty simple, but I should have listened to my gut and thrown in something more exciting - a can of diced tomatoes, some mushrooms, something - it was just pasta & shrimp....  Quick, satisfying and I used whole wheat pasta in an attempt to be healthier.  I can't tell a taste difference with the wheat pasta, but its delicious just the same.  I probably won't be making this one again - but then again - I typically make variations of shrimp & pasta all the time.

Risotto with Scallops

Tonight's dinner was not what I would call a success, not by any means.  I had a tasty delicious lunch the other day of a creamy butternut squash risotto with perfectly seared scallops.  It was so good, that I wanted to attempt to make it at home.

The store just happened to have a good deal on some sea scallops, so I picked up a pound of those.

To make the risotto:

Saute 1/2 chopped onion with some butter, then throw in 1 cup of arborio rice, stir until brown.
Stir in 1 cup of dry white wine ( i used vermouth, because that's what I had on hand). This begins the labor intensive process: semi-constant stirring.  There really isn't any specific amount of time to cook the rice, just until it is al-dente.  I think it took about 20 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of chicken stock when the vermouth has cooked down to 1/2.  Only add more liquid to the mix when the majority has been absorbed.  I added a total of 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the rice.  Near the end of its life cycle I threw in 1 cup of frozen peas & a handful of chopped roma tomatoes to add some nutrition value.  The best part of risotto is the cheese - I stirred in some fresh grated parmesan to give it a nice creamy flavor.

The risotto actually turned out ok - the scallops & steamed broccoli I tried to make - not so much.

In my attempt to "pan-sear" scallops, I essentially burned a nice thick layer of scallop gunk to the bottom of my beautiful pan.  In an attempt to fix the whole mess, I put a little chicken stock in the pan to try and free them from the burnt mess, and so ended up with chicken flavored boiled scallops.  They tasted ok, after being put on top of the risotto, but the end result was not as planned.

Thank goodness for having stainless steal cookware that cleans up pretty good, or I would have a pan in the trash.

The broccoli - oh my - well, lets just say it is possible to overcook broccoli.  After one bite - it was all in the trash unfortunately - if there was an award for the best mushy nearly pureed broccoli - I would win it.

The rice turned out pretty tasty and filling - thank goodness, but overall - the dinner was quite a learning experience.  There are just some meals that are best left to the professionals.