Scallops with Lemony Orzo & Asparagus

         

It's asparagus month!  Hooray!

I will be sick of them in about 4 weeks, but for now, I am loving them and eating them every other day.

Here, I made the NY Times recipe for orzo salad with asparagus in a lemon dressing.  

It's so easy, you cook the asparagus pieces in the same boiling water with the orzo, and just dump it into a bowl with the dressing.

I make a big batch of "pangrattato", which are breadcrumbs made with stale bread, pulsed fine, then cooked in a skillet with garlic and parsley and a little oil.  I store them in the freezer and have forever breadcrumbs to top on pasta and dishes like this.

I took the liberty of making this a dinner, and searing some sea scallops and adding in artichoke hearts.

This was fabulous!

Seared Scallops with Orzo & Asparagus: (original recipe here on the NYT)

sea scallops, patted dry and seasoned with kosher salt

butter for the scallops

dressing:

zest of a lemon

juice of a lemon

5 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

1 cup orzo

1 bunch of asparagus, cut on the bias into 1/2" pieces

1 can of artichokes hearts, drained and halved

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

fresh dill

breadcrumbs (I just told you how to make them, but if you need a recipe, click here)

Make your dressing in a large bowl.

Cook the orzo (usually takes 9 minutes).   The last 3 minutes of boiling, add in your asparagus (2 minutes if they are skinny).

Drain the orzo and asparagus in a colander and immediately add to the bowl with the dressing.

Add in the artichokes, parmesan and dill.  Taste for seasoning.  Might need a pinch of salt.

Cover the salad and keep warm (you can also serve it at room temperature if you like).

Melt a tbsp of butter in a nonstick skillet, and sear your scallops for 2 minutes on each side.

Plate on top of this yummy orzo mixture and throw on those toasted breadcrumbs!

This is a 10/10.