I cooked: Risotto ai funghi porcini with seared scallops

It is a common misconception that risotto is hard to cook. This is definitely not the case as cooking a risotto requires little in terms of cooking skills. However, it is a time-consuming dish. But once you've gone through the ropes, the result is an absolutely delightful dish you can serve as a starter or a main.

Risotto ai funghi porcini with seared scallops

Previously we have done a blog on preparing risotto, so you can refer there for precise directions on how to prepare a nice risotto. The only difference here is in the ingredients used. Instead of the higher quality truffle carnaroli, this time I used the more commonly-used arborio, vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, porcini instead of oyster mushrooms, and also a higher quality parmigiano-reggiano (aged for 30 months) instead of the pre-grated parmesan. For the sides, the green beans were lightly blanched and were used as a 'platform' to place the seared scallops.

Ingredients

Parmigiano-reggiano (aged for 30 months)

For instructions to cook risotto, please click here. 

To prepare scallops:
1. Clean the scallops and pat them dry. Season the scallops with some salt and pepper on one side only.

2. Heat a pan up and add in some olive oil. Make sure it is piping hot before putting in the scallops. You want to have a nice sear on the scallops to seal in the juices.

3. Put the scallops in, seasoned side down in a clockwise direction. This is merely for convenience sake so that you know which scallop went in first for timing purposes. Feel free to place it whichever way you feel is best to remember, may it be anti-clockwise or in a grid-like fashion. Cook the scallops for about 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the scallop and the amount of sear you want on the scallop. While cooking the first side, you can season the other side of the scallop with salt and pepper. If you like, you can add a squeeze of lemon at the end to add some zing to the taste.

4. Remove from pan and plate immediately on top of risotto.

Enjoy!

*This guest post is written by The Unc.