Linguine with Bay Scallops, Fennel, and Tomatoes

I love trying recipes from the Fast, Easy, Fresh section of Bon Appetit because if they turn out great, then I have another recipe to add to my "quick and easy" rotation. These are the dishes that I know will take no time at all to cook, I know all the ingredients by heart, and I know that they will taste good. Things like my mom's cauliflower and pork, eggplant and pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and scallions, fried rice, buffalo chicken. Sometimes you just crave a home-cooked meal and these certainly do the trick!

Anyway, this was a great "quick and easy" recipe. I was a little iffy about the fennel because I'm not a big fan of the licorice taste, but it wasn't too strong and I substituted a dry white wine for the anise-flavored liqueur. The lemon and the parsley add a lot to the overall taste, so try to use fresh parsley if possible. The market was out of bay scallops at the time, so I just used regular scallops.

Bon Appetit Recipe: Linguine with Bay Scallops, Fennel, and Tomatoes

Ingredients

* 8 ounces linguine
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 medium fennel bulb, halved, very thinly sliced, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
* 1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced
* 1 pound bay scallops
* 1 6-ounce container cherry tomatoes, halved if large
* 1 tablespoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
* 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
* 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Preparation

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until wilted but crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to medium bowl.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add scallops and sauté until just opaque in center, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with fennel-onion mixture. Add tomatoes to skillet and sauté until heated through, about 2 minutes. Return fennel-onion mixture and scallops to skillet. Mix in Pernod.

Add drained pasta to skillet; toss to coat, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds. Transfer to large shallow bowl, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.

Potato Gnocchi with Pork and Wild Mushroom Ragù

I cooked this for a bunch of friends over Snowmageddon and it was a big hit! To save time, I bought the gnocchi instead of making it from scratch. I thought the dried porcinis added a nice earthiness to the dish. I ended up adding the whole can of the crushed tomatoes and about 1/2 cup more of the chicken broth. I didn't do it because it was getting dry--I just had more mouths to feed and thought I could use some more sauce to go with the gnocchi. I let it boil down a bit so that the sauce wouldn't be too thin.

Bon Appetit Recipe: Potato Gnocchi with Pork and Wild Mushroom Ragu

Ingredients

* 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
* 1 1/2 cups boiling water
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 8 ounces sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* Coarse kosher salt
* 2 1/2 cups dry white wine, divided
* 1 pound boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 2 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices coppa or prosciutto, chopped
* 6 ounces fresh mild Italian sausages, casings removed (about 2 links)
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
* 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
* 2 cups crushed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes with added puree (from one 28-ounce can; preferably San Marzano or Muir Glen)
* 1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
* Potato Gnocchi (see recipe)
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Place dried porcini mushrooms in medium bowl; pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over. Let stand until mushrooms are soft, about 45 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to cutting board and chop coarsely. Reserve soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add crimini mushrooms and garlic; sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup wine and simmer until crimini mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Set aside (there may still be liquid in skillet).

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with coarse salt and pepper. Add pork to pot and sauté until browned in spots, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to medium bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium. Add coppa and stir 1 minute. Add sausages and cook until brown, breaking up into small pieces with back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cover pot and cook vegetables until soft, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups wine; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add tomatoes, 1 cup broth, bay leaves, reserved pork, and porcini mushrooms. Pour in reserved porcini soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind in bowl. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until pork is tender, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry, about 1 hour.

Stir crimini mushroom mixture in skillet into ragù. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover; keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.

Spoon off fat from surface of ragù; stir in basil. Add Potato Gnocchi; toss gently to coat. Simmer over medium heat until gnocchi are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Divide gnocchi and ragù among bowls. Sprinkle with some of cheese and serve, passing remaining cheese alongside.