Saffron Chili Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

Servings

4 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 14 16

US / METRIC

1 lb

Fettuccine

or Spaghetti or Tagliatelle

Pasta & Sauce

12

Jumbo Scallops

up to 16, about 1 to 1.25 pounds

to taste

Kosher Salt

2 Tbsp

Butter

2 Tbsp

Olive Oil

2 Tbsp

Society Garlic Blossoms

for garnish

or Chives flowers or Basil leafs

Scallops & Garnish

2 Tbsp

Olive Oil

2 Tbsp

Unsalted Butter

1

Large Shallot , finely chopped

1/2 tsp

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

12

Saffron Threads

soaked in 1 Tbsp water for 2 hours

3 cups

Cherry Tomatoes , halved

I used Sun Gold Tomatoes

1

Lemon

1 tsp of zest

to taste

Kosher Salt

Cooking Instructions

HIDE IMAGES

Step 1

Cook Fettuccine (1 lb) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat Olive Oil (2 Tbsp) and Unsalted Butter (2 Tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook Shallot (1) and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (1/2 tsp) stirring often, until shallot is softened, about 4 minutes.

Step 3

Add the soaked Saffron Threads (12) & Cherry Tomatoes (3 cups) and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are soft and start to release their juices, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 4

Add zest of the Lemon (1) & season sauce with Kosher Salt (to taste) . Add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Cook, tossing constantly and adding more reserved pasta water as needed, until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes.

Step 5

Remove the small side muscle from the Jumbo Scallops (12) , rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Heat a 12-14 inch pan over high heat, add the Butter (2 Tbsp) and Olive Oil (2 Tbsp) .

Step 6

Season each side of the scallops with Kosher Salt (to taste) . Once the butter & olive oil begins to smoke, gently add the scallops to the pan, making sure they are not touching each other.

Step 7

Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a deep golden crust on each side.

Step 8

Serve the pasta topped with scallops & garnish with Society Garlic Blossoms (2 Tbsp) .