I (literally) just finished eating what tasted like a meal of the finest restaurant quality. If I closed my eyes (and disregarded the fact that I had just spent an hour or so cooking this meal), I would have thought I was at a 5-star restaurant eating the Chef's special. I honestly don't even feel like I'm exaggerating.
Yesterday, Nick and I went to the local Fairway and I decided I wanted to buy some scallops. I figured we could wrap the scallops in bacon and sauté them with some asparagus, and make some sort of creamy sauce to drizzle on top. I was already thinking decadent but this morning in my foggy haze on the train into the city for work, it hit me. I really wanted to make my first risotto. I had always wanted to make risotto but I knew it was so time consuming. I had to go for it.
I found a great recipe for a spinach asparagus risotto with plain scallops and I decided to take it a step further and wrap my scallops in prosciutto. That's right, I said it, prosciutto-wrapped scallops. B prepared though, this recipe is easier made with 2 people. If you're going it alone, make sure you prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking anything and wrap the scallops in the prosciutto and store them in the fridge until the risotto is almost finished.
Here's the recipe, adapted from Cooking Yummies.
Make 4-5 servings
For the risotto:
6 cups chicken broth (I used reduced sodium with no MSG)
2 TB olive oil
1 lb. asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 TB minced shallot (this wasn't even a full bulb so don't prepare too much)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1.5 cups uncooked arborio rice
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1.5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 TB chopped scallions
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan
Sea salt to taste
For the scallops:
1 pound fresh sea scallops
1/3 pound prosciutto
2 TB olive oil
1 TB lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Pour chicken broth into a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to large frying pan over medium heat. Add asparagus, sea salt, and pepper and sauté for about 7 minutes until tender.
3. Reserve asparagus in bowl and set aside.
4. In the same frying pan, add second TB olive oil over medium heat. Add minced shallot and garlic. Cook about 4 minutes until soft but not browned.
5. Add rice and thoroughly coat with oil.
6. Gently heat white wine (in the microwave is fine) so it is as hot as the pan (this is so the rice absorbs this liquid rather than it just boiling off.) Add white wine to pan and stir until rice absorbs all liquid.
7. Begin to add hit chicken broth 1/2 cup or so at a time. Simmer and stir regularly until liquid is nearly absorbed and the proceed with adding another 1/2 cup increment. Continue until all broth is gone. It will take about 30-45 minutes.
8. If you have not done so already, begin wrapping scallops in prosciutto when risotto is about 3/4 of the way done. If you are working alone, it is suggested that you wrap and reserve scallops prior to beginning risotto. To wrap, slice prosciutto length wise, then fold each strip lengthwise. Wrap around circumference of scallops and keep in place with a toothpick.
9. When there is about 1 cup of broth remaining to stir into rice, begin cooking prosciutto-wrapped scallops. In a separate frying pan, heat olive oil over medium. Add scallops to pan and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper as well as half the lemon juice. After about 3 minutes, flip scallops and again sprinkle with sea salt and pepper as well as remaining lemon juice. After about 2 minutes, turn up heat to sear outside of scallop for about 2 minutes. Repeat on the other side.
10. Once all broth has been absorbed by rice, add asparagus, spinach, scallions, and Parmesan over low heat and stir thoroughly.
11. Remove risotto and scallops from heat and serve!
Nick and I are hungry hungry hippos when it comes to eating and we were both stuffed after 3 scallops and about 1.5 cups of risotto so now we have plenty leftover for tomorrow's lunch!
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