“And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” It’s been raining and raining and raining for days here, almost without pause, and I’ve been cowering inside like a sad damp cat for as much of it as possible. It’s the sort of weather that makes you want to curl up and eat continuously, interspersed with pints of tea and vicarious, digital eating via repeats of The Great British Bake Off. And it’s not even winter yet…

Basically, it’s grey, it’s wet and it’s getting me down. If this also describes your current predicament, this pasta dish could rescue you (at least until it stops raining). Sweet, plump scallops and spicy chorizo on a bed of slick linguine – such a quick, bright midweek supper, this is (posh) comfort food at its finest. I’m not sure Noah ever rustled this up on the ark but I for one think he would have enjoyed it!

Chorizo & scallop linguine

Serves 2

Ingredients:

– 100g cooking chorizo*, sliced into 1cm thick coins
– 180g dry linguine*
– 180g fresh scallops
– 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
– 2 cloves garlic, crushed
– 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
– small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks chopped
– salt & pepper, to taste
– 50ml white wine
– small knob butter**
– squeeze fresh lemon juice

*Check your chorizo ingredients for gluten and substitute the linguine with gluten-free pasta for a GF version.

**Substitute with dairy-free spread for a dairy-free version.

Method:

Pop the chorizo in a wide-based pan on a medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until it has released its oils and is just about cooked through.

Plunge the linguine into a saucepan of salted boiling water and cook according to instructions. Tip: You want it al dente – with a little bite to it – so keep tasting during the last minute or so of cooking and then drain it prontissimo!

Once the chorizo is just cooked, add the scallops, tomatoes, garlic, chilli, parsley stalks, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it sizzle away for a couple more minutes. Tip: Scallops need very little cooking so keep a close eye on them – overcook them and they’ll be tough…

Once the chorizo and scallops are cooked through, remove from the heat and stir in the linguine, 1/2 the parsley leaves, the butter and lemon juice.

Serve with the remaining parsley leaves sprinkled on top.

Source: Recipe and photos from pip & little blue.