Serves 4
400g dried calabrese pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
3 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced
55g green peppercorns, drained
2/3 cup cream
1 lemon, shredded rind and juice
32 small scallops, cleaned, roe removed
1 Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until just tender, as per packet instructions. Return to saucepan.
2 Heat the oil and half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When butter has melted and is sizzling, add leeks and cook for 8 minutes or until soft. Stir in peppercorns and season with salt. Add cream and bring to a simmer. Add to pasta with lemon juice. Toss until well combined. Wash pan.
3 Place scallops onto paper towel and pat dry (this will ensure scallops develop a better colour when seared). Heat half the remaining butter in pan over a medium-high heat. When melted and sizzling add half the scallops and sear for 1 minute or until golden. Turn and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Melt remaining butter and sear remaining scallops.
4 Spoon pasta mixture into serving bowls. Top with scallops and shredded lemon rind. Serve.