What's cooking Wednesday

I've continued to try new recipes this week, using a few of my cookbooks. I took advantage of a coupon this week and bought some bay scallops at Central Market for this week's feature meal. It turned out really well. I haven't cooked orzo before, yet I always like it when I have it at restaurants. Using orzo for the risotto makes it much easier than using arborio rice. Graeme declared that it tasted like fancy restaurant food. Scallops will do that. The recipe is from 'A Year of the Best'.

Seared Scallops with Orzo Risotto
1 2/3 c orzo
1 c diced mushrooms
1/3 c diced onion
1/3 c diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 c diced red pepper
2 c chicken stock
1/2 c grated parmesan chese
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 c whipping cream
1 lb scallops

(I cut the recipe in half, since this is for four people. Except I didn't cut the veggie amounts in half, and I didn't use mushrooms at all)
Cook orzo and set aside. In large pot, heat olive oil and saute veggies until soft. Add stock and bring to boil. Stir in orzo, parmesan and parsley (I used cilantro, since that's what I had). Add cream and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until mixture is creamy but not runny, about 20 minutes. Heat olive oil in very hot pan. Season scallops with salt and pepper and sear until brown on outside but just opaque in the middle. Sprinkle more parmesan over risotto and top with scallops.


I also made muffins today, since I remembered how nice it was to have muffins in the freezer after Jannie's visit in September. I found a recipe for Pecan-oatmeal muffins in 'The Enchanted Broccoli Forest'. They are quite yummy, not very sweet. I think they would be good with a bit of maple syrup added to the batter. No recipe for you, but a photo.