You want to dry out the scallops before searing them with a little Kosher Salt. Tablespoon of vegetable oil, tablespoon butter, heat on the grill in my cast iron pan til nice and hot. Toss those puppies in and let them sear for like you said 3-5 minutes per side. Little lemon, little parsley.
One of the most important steps right here. I put them on a few paper towels, and place a few more on top, and leave them like that for about 30 minutes before cooking.
So the wife is mostly Ukrainian, and her Baba used to make Galumpkis quite often. Basically ground beef, ground pork, some seasoning, wrapped in cabbage leaves. The sauce is tomato-based, but not traditional italian. More of a sweet/sour type. Cabbage leaves are a massive pain in the ass to release from the rest of the cabbage in one piece.
The result, the taste…outstanding. So much more than the sum of its parts.
I go back and forth. I’m mostly meh on it, but my wife likes it. I think it’s better in small doses, mixed in with something else(like above). I’ve also found that the stuff they have at most grocery stores kinda sucks. We’ve been buying it from Farmers and Artisans and I like that a lot better.
Ok, now this next one I remember well, because it was literally 40+ minutes just to prep the pasta. Instead of using cream or butter to make a sauce, you use the pasta starch, and here’s how it works. Toast the penne or whatever you’re using in a touch of olive oil in a medium heat pan for 5-7 minutes. Toss it around, almost like risotto. Pull it from the heat and put it in a bowl. It will look a bit like this when done
Now, on another burner, have about 4-5 cups of stock (I used chicken) at a very low simmer. Put the pasta back into the pan, heat to medium, add one cup of stock. Stir pretty frequently, until liquid is mostly absorbed (about 6-7 minutes), then add another cup, repeat until what you have left looks like a cream sauce. The flavor is fantastic, pasta toasty. Combine all things