My Daughter's Kitchen blog: Chorizo and Scallops

Here is an excerpt from the blog, "My Daughter's Kitchen."

Right off the bat, I have to confess this is not a bargain recipe. Not with scallops at $16.99 a pound and chorizo at $8 a pound.

But it does fill the other requirements of the blog: It's simple, quick and delicious.

Once it awhile, you have to splurge and treat yourself to something special. And sometimes it is worth paying a little more for such great ingredients to produce the result: a wonderful and convenient dinner.

When you divide the cost of the ingredients among four servings, it is not so bad. (But it is so good, you might have trouble stretching this to serve four people. I recommend serving it over rice to satisfy the kind of appetities I know!)

I found this recipe in Nigella Express, the best selling cookbook from Food Network star Nigella Lawson, that promises (and delivers) recipes for good food, fast.

Once you slice the chorizo, slice the scallops, and chop the parsley, you are more than halfway home. All that remains is a quick trip in the hot cast iron skillet for both the chorizo and the scallops.

Sear the chorizo first, then remove it, and add the scallops to the pan, letting the mollusks soak up the resulting paprika chili oil. Next, return the sausage to the pan, squeeze a half a lemon over the whole thing. Remove to a serving platter and toss with fresh parsley and dinner is served! (If you are serving rice, don't forget to start it first. From start to finish, you can put this together in about 20 minutes.)

I loved the contrast of the chewy, spicy chorizo against the silky smoothess of the scallops, and the fresh, cool finish of the parsley. The next time you are looking for something a little more special that your regular weeknight dinner, give this recipe a try.

Contact Maureen Fitzgerald at 215-854-5744 or mfitzgerald@phillynews.com or follow on Twitter@mydaughterskit. Read her blog, "My Daughter's Kitchen" at www.philly.com/mydaughter.