Emerald Coast Chef catches a Firefly

The "Emerald Coast Chefs" series on Beach TV is back, and it is featuring a chef with experience in fine dining on both sides of Bay County's Hathaway Bridge.

Chef Paul Stellato, formerly of Canopies and now of Firefly, visits with host Margit Bisztray in the newest segment. It will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays through March 2.

Canopies in Panama City closed last year, and Stellato moved to the new Firefly at The Shoppes at Edgewater in Panama City Beach.

He had been at Canopies and its predecessor restaurant on 15th Street for 22 years. He also has been on the advisory board for the Culinary School at Gulf Coast Community College.

The dish Stellato prepares on "Emerald Coast Chefs" is stuffed portobello mushrooms with vegetable ratatouille and creamy orzo, along with pan-seared scallops.

"I'd say it has a little Meditarranean flavor to it," he says. It's not on the menu yet at Firefly, but it might be soon.

The mushroom caps start first, enhanced with a little extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, and popped into an oven preheated to 375 to 400 degrees.

While the mushrooms roast 15 to 20 minutes Stellato prepares orzo, a pasta that looks like rice.

"A little trick to boiling pasta that a lot of people don't know," he says, is to let the water boil before adding salt. That way, your pot won't have a pitted bottom from burned salt crystals.

Stellato creates an Alfredo sauce for the orzo as it cooks, adding heavy cream, "just a tad of garlic" and parmesan cheese.

The ratatouille starts with heated olive oil, to which he adds onions, zucchini, kosher salt and coarse black pepper, as well as a mushroom mixture. Chopped garlic, a splash of white wine, diced grape tomatoes and a little marinara sauce finish the simmering mix.

Then there are scallops, pan-seared in olive oil. When all the components come together, Stellato and Bisztray build individual servings: orzo on the bottom, followed by a mushroom cap stuffed with ratatouille and surrounded by the scallops. He garnishes the dish with rosemary and drizzles balsamic dressing.

"A nice Chardonnay would go with this," Stellato says, "or a pinot grigio. But we recommend you come to Firefly and you get (sommelier) Andrew over to your table, and he will put you onto the perfect wine."

Firefly is at 535 Beckrich Road in Panama City Beach. To find out more, call (850) 249-3359 or see www.fireflypcb.com.