SCALLOPS WITH
MUSHROOMS & SPINACH
 
Serves 4
 
 20 sea scallops, trimmed of the
    small hard muscle
    Kosher salt and freshly ground
    black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    Good olive oil
  4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  1 cup chopped shallots (3 shallots)
  8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and
    thickly sliced
1/2 cup drywhite wine
  8 ounces fresh baby spinach
  2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
    Lemon wedges, to garnish
 
1 Preheat the oven to 275 degrees
 
2 Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season
them generously with salt and pepper. Toss
the scallops in the flour and shake them to remove
any excess flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a
large (12-inch) saute pan. When the oil is very hot,
add half the scallops and saute on one side without
moving until they are browned, about 3 minutes.
Turn the scallops and cook for about 2 minutes
more so the scallops are still a little raw in the center.
Transfer the scallops to a heatproof platter
and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat with the
remaining scallops and add them to the platter in
the oven.
 
3 Melt the butter in the pan and add the shallots.
Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the
mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning
often, until browned and tender. Add the wine and
scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Cook for 2 minutes to reduce the wine.
 
4 Add the spinach to the pan in handfuls, so some
of it wilts before adding more. Toss the spinach
with the sauce to help it wilt. When all of the spinach
has been wilted, add the spinach mixture to
the scallops in the oven. Sprinkle with the Parmesan
cheese and bake for 3 minutes, until the
scallops are just cooked. Sprinkle with pepper and
serve hot with wedges of lemon.



Barefoot Contessa, House Beautiful 1AUG08
Fixed Feb09... "Mighty Fine"