Shrimp and Scallop Penne with a Garlic Sauce

This dish is so simple. I came up with it while trying to clean out our refrigerator and freezer before moving. I don’t have actual measurements. But it’s so good, the girls loved it. You’ll be using the same pan for the whole dish, don’t wash it in between uses- you’ll build more flavor on the bottom when you deglaze. That and I’d much rather wash a pan once.

GPAC Shrimp and Scallop Penne with a Garlic Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons of butter

1 cup scallops- rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel, I find they sear better when dry

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

¼ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 small red onion sliced- or a shallot sliced

1 cup packed fresh spinach

8 oz mushrooms sliced- cremini would be good or button

2-3 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper

½ cup of broth or stock (Seafood, chicken, vegetable- if you don’t have any, use water)

¼ cup cream

Pinch of nutmeg

1 – 1 ½ cup cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

Penne pasta cooked with 1 cup of cooking liquid reserved

Sear the scallops in the olive oil on med-high heat. Remove them from the pan.

In the same pan, on medium high heat add a tablespoon of butter, garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.

Add the shallots or red onion, cook until almost soft.

Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in the spinach and let it start to wilt. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, three tablespoons if it looks like it needs it ;-). Scrape up some of those brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Heat the butter until it gets foamy then sprinkle in the flour.Stir and cook until the flour no longer smells like raw flour, it will start to smell a little nutty. Add salt and pepper.

Whisk in the broth or stock. Once combined add the cream and nutmeg. Cook on low until thickened.

Put the vegetables, pasta, shrimp and scallops into the pan. Stir to coat. If the pasta is dry add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Once heated through serve.