Fridays in the Kitchen

Welcome to Fridays in the kitchen, where we'll share some of our favorite recipes for pairing with some of our favorite wines.

[right] Bacon-wrapped scallops and seafood pasta en brodo paired with a bottle of Barboursville Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.

This week's edition: we were in the mood for seafood in the form of some kind of comfort food, and our Sauvignon Blanc kick continues with a fine offering from Barboursville, from nearby Orange County, Virginia.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

We used bay scallops and some fancy organic bacon from Whole Foods - no additives or nitrates or anything nasty.

Marinate the scallops in some olive oil, lemon or lime juice, and some salt and pepper for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil while you prep the bacon, slicing strips in half lengthwise, and trimming the larger sections of fat. Don't cut the fat off entirely - BACON FAT ADDS FLAVOR - trim it conservatively.

Wrap each scallop with 1 half-piece of bacon and set in a roasting dish.

Cook 2-3 minutes, flip, and continue cooking until desired texture is achieved. You may need to use toothpicks, or just carefully lay them in the pan with the wrapped ends of bacon on the down side.

If you like your bacon extra-crispy, pre-cook the bacon to medium-done on a flat top before wrapping the scallops. [You don't want to cook over-long in the broiler as the scallops will get rubbery before your bacon gets crispy.]

Seafood Pasta en Brodo

Use whatever veggies you have on hand. This week we used green onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

Sautee veggies lightly in some butter and olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs as desired [oregano, thyme, basil - the stand-bys]. Add pasta to boiling water at this point as well and set the timer for al dente.

We peeled a dozen ginormous tiger shrimp and a few ounces of bay scallops for this recipe. Once the veggies are tender, add shrimp first as they are bigger and the scallops cook faster. When the shrimp are ready to be flipped, add scallops, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of white wine (Barboursville Sauvignon Blanc), and half a bouillon cube. Cover to let the seafood finish.

The juices from the seafood, the wine, the oil and butter, the herbs and veggies - you got a wonderful broth goin'. Ladel the broth over a bowl of cooked pasta, serve with a fork and a spoon, and enjoy.

Pasta en brodo is one of our all-time favorite Italian comfort-food dishes. It's so warming and inviting on a cold February night - and it's perfect for that transition to the lighter flavors of spring so when March and April roll around, pasta en brodo is still an appropriate dish.

Our review of the Barboursville Sauvignon Blanc in a separate post.