Spring

Fava Beans, Ramps, Dandelions and Scallops over Pasta alla Chitarra (Saturday Night's Dinner)

by:
May  8, 2011
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 4 or 5 persons
Author Notes

This is the type of dish I cook most often for family dinners. The ingredients change with what's gorgeous (or just available) in the produce section or seasonally at the Greenmarket. All the ingredients for this sauce came from said Greenmarket on Saturday.

It was hard to write this recipe, because I generally just wing it on weekday nights. —ChefJune

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 pound fava beans, shelled and peeled
  • 1/2 bunch of ramps, well washed, dried and trimmed
  • 2 stems of spring garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 bunch of dandelions, well washed and chopped
  • 1/2 pound sea scallops, cut into quarters
  • coarse sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (or dry French Vermouth)
  • 1 pound pasta alla Chitarra, Bucatini or linguine
  • 3 tablespoons mustard Panko crumbs for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives for garnish
Directions
  1. Put butter and olive oil into a large, hot skillet. Lower the heat to medium.
  2. When the butter has melted, add all the greens and toss (or stir) to coat with the hot fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the dandelions are completely wilted, push the vegetables to the sides and add the scallops in the center of the pan.
  3. When the scallops have browned on one side, shake the pan to turn them and toss the greens, and add the lemon juice and wine. Stir to mix the liquid through. The liquid should reduce by about half.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions in lots of boiling, salted water. Drain the pasta and pour it immediately into the sauce. Use a pair of tongs to mix the sauce into the pasta thoroughly.
  5. Pour the hot pasta and sauce into a warmed serving bowl and top with the mustard panko crumbs and chopped chives. Serve at once with a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a bottle of chilled Gavi wine.
  6. Teacher's Tip: If you can't find pasta alla Chitarra, you can substitute linguine or bucatini, but they will not have the textured edges that help this special pasta hold the sauce.

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