Inspired by Italy: Scallop, Fennel and Bacon Linguine

Here is the main course from this week's ‘Monday Menu’; Scallop, Fennel and Bacon Linguine.

This originally began life as a starter, where I served it without the linguine. With the addition of wine and a little extra mascarpone though, it creates a lovely sauce destined to coat lengths of pasta. That said, if you like the flavours, I can recommend serving as a starter with slices of toasted ciabatta drizzled with your best oil.

You can use streaky bacon or pancetta in the recipe, I've gone with pancetta to stay with the Italian theme, but if you prefer bacon, it's just as nice!

One thing worth noting though before you approach with gusto….This all comes together very quickly at the end and there is a risk of overcooking or ingredients getting cold if you don’t apply a little bit of organisation! I recommend pre-reading the steps so you’re ready for action and then it should be easy.

Enjoy cooking,
Helen x

Scallop, Fennel and Bacon Linguine

Ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs (sliced and trimmed)
• 130g mascarpone
• 150ml white wine
• 16 fresh scallops
• 75g streaky bacon (or pancetta)
• 500g fresh linguine
• 1 lemon

Step 1: Boil the fennel slices in water for 3 mins and drain

Step 2: Place fennel slices in shallow dish, dot with mascarpone, pour over wine and season. Place under a grill until golden and bubbling (5 mins)

 

Step 3: At the same time, fry the bacon/pancetta until crispy

Step 4: Add the linguine to a pan of salted, boiling water (follow pack instructions for cooking time) and remove and drain when cooked

Step 5: Add the scallops to the same pan and fry in the bacon/pancetta fat (add olive oil if needed). Fry scallops until golden (3 mins on each side at a medium high temperature should be sufficient).

Step 6: Plate up. Scoop pasta onto serving dish and top with fennel and the wine/mascarpone sauce. Place over the top a few slices of bacon/pancetta and 4 scallops per person. Squeeze over lemon and season to taste

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Sexy Sides!

Some may say that writing an entry tenuously linking food and, ahem, sex is a blatant attempt to get more people to find my page in google....you may be right but go with me a little.....

I think the way people react to food is a very personal thing. Some people get giddy over chocolate, some weep for cheese and some hanker for a nice, juicy steak over all else. I think I'm still finding my true food love but there are certainly some things that fill my head, heart and tummy with happiness.

There are foods that make me smile (soft piles of marshmallows), some that provide comforting warmth (silky, smooth risottos) and some that make me want to feel the sun on my skin, reach for the wine glass and laugh uncontrollably with loved ones. It's this food that I think of as sexy food.

My requirements for sexy food are quite specific:

1. It must promise pleasure on the plate
2. It's flavours must surprise
3. It's textures must interest
4. It must be light in the mouth and light in the tummy
5. It must inspire thoughts of summer
6. It must take very little effort and not detract from all the fun that will ensue

A hard task! However, I'm not prescriptive on what course this applies to. It could as easily be an elderflower granita for dessert as a whole, roasted sea bream for main. So, here I share a few of the side dishes I consider to meet the bill:

• Roasted red pepper, goats cheese, walnut and honey
• Baked fennel, stuffed with orange and feta breadcrumbs

It was only after a little research that I realised there may be a little bit more in the appeal of these dishes than meets the eye! Both fennel and honey are natural aphrodisiacs, popularised by the Egyptians. Well.... if it was good enough for Cleopatra.....

Red Pepper, Goats Cheese Walnut and Honey Salad (serves 2)

2 long red peppers

2 handfuls of large walnuts

100g soft, crumbly goats cheese

2 tablespoons best honery

seasoning

salad leaves (to serve)

Step 1: Halve and deseed peppers

Step 2: Place peppers on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake in the oven (160c) for 10-15 minutes until softening

Step 3: Sprinkle goats cheese and walnuts over the peppers and roast for 10 minutes (careful the walnuts don't burn)

Step 4: Remove from the oven, season lightly and serve warm drizzled with honey

Baked fennel, stuffed with orange and feta breadcrumbs (serves 2)

 
2 fennel bulbs
olive oil
1 orange
50g feta
100g dried breadcrumbs
seasoning
orange slices (to serve - optional)
 
Step 1: Halve the bulbs and remove the core to create a sort of fennel bowl

 

 
Step 2: Drizzle over oil, season, cover with foil and roast for 15 mins (160c)
 
Step 3: Whislt roasting, zest and juice the orange. Mix zest, half the juice, feta, glug of oil and breadcrumbs together to make a fragrant, mouldable stuffing (if it's too dry, add more juice/oil). Season to taste.
 
Step 4: Remove the foil from the fennel and press the stuffing into the bulb cavity. Roast for 15 minutes until the stuffing is golden and crispy.
 
Step 5: Serve with slices of orange
 
I've reverting to type with my next post.... the waist-expanding delights of Pavlova Supernova!
Helen x

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