Last week, the meteorologist promised temperatures in the lower 80’s for this week.

He lied.

But, in my imagination, it’s starting to be nippy in the mornings. Nippy mornings, are usually accompanied with soup in the evenings….with some of this for dessert.

Comfort food.

So, to celebrate my imaginary beginnings of Fall, we have soup.

For added protein, I made some scallops to go on top. I attempted to sear them. Yeah, that didn’t work. Is there a trick?

But, if you’re vegetarian, don’t mind the scallops. The dish can hold its own.

Creamy Corn & Mushroom Pasta (with scallops)

Ingredients

• 3 cups baby portabella mushrooms (2 cups after chopped)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 (15 ounce) can no salt added corn, drained
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 scallops (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
• 4 servings of your favorite whole wheat pasta

How-To

1. In the food processor, chop the mushrooms until they are no bigger than pea-sized. Set aside.
2. In the same food processor, pureé 1/4 cup of the corn. Set aside.
3. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
4. Add in the garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about 1 minute.
5. Add in the flour, whisking constantly.
6. Add in the heavy cream, whisking until smooth, about 2 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the chopped bits of mushroom, pureéd corn, remaining whole corn kernels, and cheese.
8. Meanwhile, simmer the sauce and cook your noodles according to the packaged instructions. Once the noodles are done, drain and add to the sauce.
9. (If you’re making it vegetarian, stop here) While the noodles are going, sear the scallops in a bit of olive oil with some salt and pepper, to taste.
10. Plate up the pasta and place the seared scallops on top.