Seafood With Saffron

This tasty, fragrant sauce gets its flavor punch through the use of dried tomatoes.  In concert with that, a generous pinch of saffron adds an almost exotic, heady touch.

Ingredients:

Soak the dried tomato halves for 15 minutes in warm water until soft.  Cut the softened tomatoes into strips about 1/4 inch wide.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-heat.  If the prawns are fresh, start with them and sauté for a few minutes.  As they turn pink, add the scallops and continue to sauté lightly. The scallops are done when they are at the translucent stage.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  Remove scallops and prawns from the skillet, set aside but keep them warm.

Blend corn starch in lemon-water mixture and add to seafood liquid in the skillet.  Cook and stir until slightly thickened over moderate heat.

Add the capers, dried tomato strips, and olives.  Cook for five minutes more, lower the heat and add the scallops and prawns.  Simmer the mixture for a few minutes to allow them to reheat.

Serve over al dente cooked pasta.  Add grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Round out the meal with a salad with a spritz of lemon, a few crumbles of blue cheese, and/or perhaps a few walnut chunks, a few crunchy bread sticks, and a glass of a well chilled Chardonnay.