DG...We love you...Hang in there. We will ALWAYS be here for you. Here is something for you to make to hopefully take your mind off of things. Scallop Risotto.
Sweat Chopped Onion in Hot Butter and Oil Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish made from a short-grained, starchy variety of rice called arborio rice. It's prepared using a technique that's come to be known as the risotto method, which involves stirring small amounts of hot stock (like chicken stock) or broth into the rice a little at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed. While it cooks, the rice releases its starch, giving the risotto a rich, creamy consistency. Like pasta, risotto is cooked until it is al dente, which means that it should be slightly firm to the bite — a degree of doneness that might seem underdone in ordinary white rice. It shouldn't be crunchy, though. For each cup of uncooked rice you'll need about 4 cups of hot chicken stock. Keep the stock hot in a small saucepan at a low simmer over a separate burner from the one you'll be using to cook the risotto. You'll also need a small (e.g. 6 oz.) ladle for adding the hot stock. Tip: Use a wooden spoon for stirring the risotto — it's less likely to break the grains of rice than a metal spoon. To begin, heat 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter and 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or straight-sided sauté pan, then add about ˝ cup of finely chopped onion. Cook until the onion is somewhat translucent. Add Uncooked Rice Add about 1 cup of uncooked arborio rice and stir briskly, coating the rice grains with the hot butter and oil.
Briefly Sauté the Rice Sauté the rice for a minute or two, until there's a slightly nutty aroma. The rice shouldn't look brown or toasted, though.
Add Wine and Cook Until Absorbed Add about a half cup of dry white wine to the rice and stir until it is is fully absorbed. The wine livens up the flavors of the risotto. Any dry white table wine will do. If you have some vermouth handy, that would be a good choice.
Add a Ladle of Hot Stock Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process. Note: It's important to stir constantly, especially as the liquid gets absorbed, to prevent scorching, and add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry. Continue Adding Hot Stock While the Risotto Becomes Creamy Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you'll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.
Cook 20-30 Minutes Total cooking time will be 20-30 minutes. The risotto is done when it's al dente, meaning that the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. Remember, a cup of uncooked arborio rice should absorb 3-4 cups of stock, but if for some reason you've added 4 cups of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water instead of stock. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it's absorbed.
Finish with Butter and Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese Stir in another 2 Tbsp unsalted butter and about Ľ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. You can also stir in some freshly chopped Italian parsley. Adjust the seasoning with Kosher salt.
Serve Risotto Right Away Risotto turns glutinous if held for too long, so it should be served immediately. A properly cooked risotto should form a soft, creamy mound on a dinner plate. It shouldn't run across the plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey.
MY TIPS: I also like to add fresh peas to the Risotto. I make scallops and put them in at the end. It is SO good!
Season Scallops with Kosher Salt Most scallops you buy at the store have been soaked in a liquid solution that keeps them looking white. So you'll need to drain and rinse them thoroughly, then pat them dry with paper towels before seasoning them.
If you're lucky, your seafood purveyor carries "dry-packed" scallops, which haven't been treated with this liquid. If you can get these, you don't need to rinse them — you can just season them with Kosher salt and they'll be ready to cook. Note that scallops have an adductor muscle (sometimes called a "foot") on the side. It's a tough little tab of meat that you should pull off before cooking the scallop because it can be kind of chewy.
Heat a nonstick sauté pan over a high heat, and add a tablespoon of clarified butter (or raw, unsalted butter) and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. The oil/butter mixture needs to be very hot before you add the scallops — you should actually see just the tiniest bit of smoke.
Place Scallops in Hot Pan and Don't Move Them! Place the scallops flat-side down in the hot pan. Don't overcrowd the pan, or you'll lower the pan temperature, causing the scallops to be steamed rather than seared.
Another important tip: Once you've placed the scallops in the pan, don't touch them! If you give in to the temptation to move the scallops around the pan, all you'll be doing is preventing them from forming the nice brown crust that you want. Be strong!
Flip Scallops After About 2 Minutes Because of variation in scallop thickness, pan temperatures and so on, it's not easy to pinpoint an exact cooking time. But after a couple of minutes, it's OK to peek underneath. If you see a nice, caramel-colored crust on the underside, they're ready to flip.
Cook For Another Minute, But Don't Overcook! One of the easiest things in the world to do is to overcook scallops, so be very careful here. The scallops should be removed from the pan and served while their centers are still slightly translucent (you can check this by viewing them from the side), because they'll continue to cook after you take them off the heat.
They should still be quite springy if you press them with your thumb. If they are very firm or stiff, they're already overcooked.
Serve Scallops Right Away Scallops start to turn rubbery if you wait too long to serve them, so get them on the plate right away. And be sure to serve them with the beautiful caramel-colored crust facing up!
If you like, you can melt a bit more butter in the pan and drizzle it across the scallops right before service.
