Fine.

After I cooked the scallops I was prepared to eat by myself, I made a sauce from the sweet pan juices. Waste not.

I soon discovered that the flavor of the tomato combined with the flavor of the sea is other-wordly. A culinary out of body experience. I usually never pair seafood with cheese but grated parmesan on top of the pasta with the scallops makes best better. The flavorful somethin somethin the scallop pan juices lend to the tomato sauce is a combination I never really thought of until I had to make two different dinners out of one. If necessity is the mother of invention, brilliance is born of hunger.  Comfort on a plate follows.

The tomato and the sea are a perfect rhapsody of flavor. I’ll never, ever be boxed into a lemon-herb theme with seafood as long as I’m in charge of the kitchen.

Fruit de la mer and fruit of the vine…try it sometime. 

SCALLOPS, ORZO AND TOMATOES
Boil water in a heavy saucepan and add some salt.
When water is boiling add, one cup orzo pasta.
Salt and pepper both sides of diver (sea) scallops.
Pour about 1 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil into a pan, warm over medium-high heat.
Sear scallops on both sides until they caramelize, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove scallops from heat, let rest.
Turn off heat under scallop pan.
When pasta is al dente, drain, and reserve 2 ladlefuls of pasta water.
Add pasta water to pan used to cook scallops.
Loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the scallop pan with wooden spoon over medium-high heat.
Add 3/4 cup tomato sauce to scallop pan, blend into liquid in pan, let it simmer 3-4 minutes.
When sauce has reduced and thickened, add drained orzo pasta to pan.
Add some chopped basil, fresh is best, about 5 leaves.
Transfer to platter.
Top orzo with scallops.