INGREDIENTS (serves 2)
6 sea scallops
4 large shrimp, peeled
1 396ml can oven-fired tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes
½ cup shallots, chopped
2 cloves (or more) garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup 35% cream (for the classic Romanov style, optional)
¼ cup vodka
1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ -½ tsp harissa paste (or ¼ tsp peperoncino peppers)
¼ cup snipped chives + some for garnish
Salt & pepper
250g Tagliatelle “Nero di Seppia” (squid ink noodles) or your favourite pasta. (Seppia can be bought at Intermarché Palumbo.)
Reserve 1 cup of pasta water
METHOD
-Put pasta in boiling water. Reserve 1 cup pasta water when pasta is near al dente
-Heat olive oil and harissa in a saucepan over medium heat
-Add butter and sauté shallots until tender
-Add garlic and stir for 1 minute
-Add tomatoes — stir to mix
-Add vodka
-If adding cream, stir. Allow sauce to reduce and thicken slightly.
-Add salt and pepper to taste
-Add snipped chives and stir
-Drain pasta, add to the pan, and use up to ½ cup pasta water to thin, if necessary. If sauce is too thick, add additional pasta cooking water.
-Toss to coat with sauce
When sauce is complete and pasta nearly cooked, heat frying pan to hot with a thin film of olive oil and sear the scallops 2 minutes per side. Place scallops on a preheated plate. Lower heat, add a bit of minced garlic, and sauté shrimp until pink. Place shrimp on a warm plate. Place pasta with sauce in prewarmed bowls and top with the scallops and shrimp.