Seafood & Butternut Squash Risotto

The leaves are changing and I wanna eat butternut squash. Shrimp and scallops make it so much better, especially with creamy risotto. Risotto really doesn't take that much effort to cook...this is restaurant quality in your own kitchen!

1 cup Arborio rice
3 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sage
6 sea scallops, cut in half or quarters
4-5 medium sized shrimp, tails off and cut in half
1 handful of mushrooms, chopped into chunks
1/2 butternut squash in 1/4-1/2 inch cubes

1. Pour the broth into a saucepan and heat at medium high.

2. In a different medium sized saucepan, saute the onion in a little olive oil. Add garlic once the onion starts to get soft. Add the sage and mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms get softer.

3. Add the rice to the onions and mushroom mixture and stir until it turns a light brown.

4. Add the wine to the rice and simmer until reduced by half.

5. Using a ladle, add about 1/2 cup of the hot broth to the rice and stir. Simmer and still frequently until the broth is almost absorbed. Then add another ladle of broth and repeat the process until all of the broth has been used and the rice starts to soften.

*Be careful not to let too much liquid evaporate in between the addition of broth...it'll make the rice sticky and pastey instead of creamy.

6. When you're down to about 2 ladles of broth left, add the squash. The squash should soften up by the time the risotto is done.

7. When about half of the final ladle of broth has been absorbed, add the scallops and shrimp. Stir gently until the liquid is absorbed and the risotto is creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Soy Citrus Scallops with Noodles & Veggies

Scallops have become my favorite seafood in the past few years. They are usually a dinner-out-only food for me and if they're on the menu, chances are, they'll be on my plate. But once and a while I make them for myself and I prefer them with asian sauces...this one is similar to the sea scallops served at East Coast Grill in Cambridge - one of my favorite restaurants.

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or regular)
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 rounded tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 lb sea scallops

1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup snow peas
1 cup button or shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tsp oyster sauce (optional)

Handful of noodles - egg or udon work well.

1. In a small bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients together until the brown sugar has dissolved.

2. Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish and add the scallops. Marinate for 4-5 minutes on each side.

3. While scallops are marinating, bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. When done, drain and rinse with cold water. Mix in a little veg oil to keep the noodles from sticking.

4. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat (cast iron works well, on medium) and add a little oil to coat.

5. Place the scallops carefully in the pan and cook about 1 minute on each side or until just done. Reserve the marinade.

6. When the scallops are done, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

7. Pour the vegetables into the pan and add the rest of the marinade (you can add a little oyster sauce here if you want). Cook on medium for a few minutes until the vegetables are cooked but crunchy and the marinade should reduce a bit as well.

8. When the vegetables are cooked, add the noodles back to the pan with them and mix well with the marinade. (add the scallops back in the pan for a quick few seconds to heat back up if they need it, but don't overcook them - they'll get rubbery fast!).

9. Serve the noodles and veggies on a plate with the scallops on top.