2.198

22 (Fri) July 2011

Conchiglie Rigate La Spatio

3.5

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ

I proudly present my second signature pasta dish: La Spatio.  It’s an improvised combination of 2 prior dishes.  The basic structure derives from the scallop-corn-shell pasta dish that I’d made a few months back (see 2.106 Pan-Seared Scallops with Corn and Conchiglie Rigate in Clam Sauce). This time, the sauce was based on the blended tomato-parmesan recipe that I developed last year (see 1.340 Spaghetti Nero di Seppia with Black Olives in Tomato-Parmesan Sauce), augmented with both the scallop juices and the caramelized bits of scallop in the pan.  The bright acidity of the tomatoes, the nutty creaminess of the parmesan, the buttery brininess of the scallops, the sweet pop of the corn – amazing harmony.  Even the shell pasta, which I’d previously thought to be a bit too cute and obvious for its own good, was the ideal vehicle to scoop all the ingredients together in every bite.

Even more proudly, the dish was named by DJ.  At the table, while shoving the food into my mouth, and moaning, and reaching behind to pat myself on the back, I was tossing out potential names for the new dish, when suddenly, somewhat shyly, DJ proposed: “la spatio.”  Not quite sure if I’d heard him correctly, I asked, “Did you say ‘la spaccio‘?”  “No,” he replied, ever-so deliberately, “‘la-spa-TEE-oh.'”  He couldn’t explain what it meant or how he’d come up with it – he’s only 4, just recently capable of constructing coherent sentences.  But he’s already naming dishes, and pasta dishes in pseudo-Italian no less.

(See also FOODS.)

(See also PLACES.)