Seared Scallops and Angel Hair Pasta with Haloumi Pesto

So, I recently bought a Food Processor. Colour me extremely excited! I'd been wanting a food processor for ages, so I could try out different recipes. Also, it's just plain fun throwing a bunch of different ingredients into a bowl and blending them.

Once I got my food processor though, I suddenly started dithering about what to make in it. It couldn't just be any old thing...then inspiration struck!

PESTO. That's right. I'm not a fan of normal 'green' pesto; so I never eat it but it's always struck me as something fun to make. Also, I wanted to make a non-green pesto to have with pasta (thus allowing me to get dinner on the table in under 10 minutes, score!). This meal takes only 15 minutes to make, no joke. Perfect for those nights when you're tired and your roomie is refusing to cook and you're starving (it serves two but if they're refusing to cook, they can stay hungry - keep the leftovers for lunch). I just grabbed a bunch of things that I thought would work well in a pesto and dumped them in. The cheeses give the pesto a wonderfully complex hit of salt and tone down the sharpness of the tomatoes.

Also I'm really not kidding about the time frame. The pesto takes all of one minute to be whizzed about, the angel hair pasta 5 minutes to cook and the scallops 5 minutes max. The rest of the time i.e. the other 5+ minutes (since you are doing these things simultaneously) is spent prepping/gathering ingredients and boiling water. Yes, it is that fast. You should cook it.

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

• 75g semi or sun-dried tomatoes (and a few spoons of their oil)
• A splash of red wine
• A glug of olive oil
• 2 tbsps of balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic
• 50g of canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 100g of haloumi
• 30g Parmesan Reggiano
• 1 tbsp silvered almonds
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 3-4 anchovies*

*The anchovies are optional. They add a subtle base flavour (i.e. do not taste anchovy-ish) but if they're not your thing you can omit them.

Other:

• About 250g angel hair pasta (or enough for 2 people)
• 300g scallops with or without roe attached
• 2 tsps olive oil plus a splash of it
• 2 tsps butter
• 1 tsp salt

1. Boil water. Pour it into a deep saucepan and add the salt and splash of olive oil, followed by the pasta. Cook as per packet instructions or until al dente or until it's the right 'doneness' for you. I use San Remo and find that despite the instructions saying 2 minutes, 5 minutes yields the perfect pasta.
2. While the pasta is boiling, rinse the scallops and pat them dry. Place a frying pan over medium high heat for 30 seconds. During these 30 seconds, chuck all your pesto ingredients into the food processor. Close it securely/as per your model instructions.
3. Add 1 tsp of butter and one of olive oil to the pan for 30 seconds. When they start to sizzle, add half of the scallops. Depending on their thickness, cook for 1.5-2 minutes. While this is happening, use the food processor to chop up your pesto. Then leave it and flip your scallops. Don't forget to check on your pasta - if it's done, take it off the heat & drain it, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid!
4. Cook them for another 1-1.5 minutes. While they are cooking, shake the processor slightly to dislodge any unblended ingredients and blend again. When the scallops are done, remove them and repeat with the rest.
5. Pour the drained pasta back into the saucepan and top with the pesto and reserved pasta liquid. Stir to combine. Serve on a plate with the scallops on the side.

Ideas:

• Add washed baby spinach leaves for a nutritional boost (I'm one of those people who will randomly chuck a handful of baby spinach into whatever I'm cooking)
• Try other seafood - prawns would work well
• Experiment with the pesto! Alter the quantities, change the ingredients - do what you think will taste good
• If you have more time, use other types of pasta
• I had more suggestions but sadly, I've forgotten them...