Prawn linguine

My weekends at the moment are filled with Christmas baking and I find that when I am spending a lot of time baking sweet things I often forget to eat properly. I am so surrounded with the sweet smells (and tastes, as I have to check for quality!) of baking that I don’t always eat properly. Plus with all of my (limited) kitchen benches taken up with baked goods at different stages of the cooking process, it can be a hassle to clear it all away to prepare lunch or dinner.

So this weekend, before I started baking, I made a big batch of prawn linguine to last me for the weekend. I love prawns however Jerome doesn’t like them, so I rarely cook with them anymore. However he is currently away visiting his family for Christmas, so I can make as many prawn dishes as I want! The other night while I was trying to find something on TV, I saw this recipe on Better Homes and Gardens and it was exactly what I was looking for. It is quick and easy to make but delicious. I cut back on the amount of oil to make it lighter (I used more of the pasta cooking water instead to help the sauce come together) and added extra prawns. It was great reheated the next day as well. Make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go before you start, as this cooks in a flash.

Prawn linguine/spaghetti

Ingredients

• 500g dried linguine/spaghetti (you want one that takes 7/8 minutes to cook, so you can cook the pasta and sauce at the same time)
• 250g cherry tomatoes (half of them cut in half)
• Extra virgin olive oil (the original recipe said 160ml however I used just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. You could always add more at the end if needed).
• 250g (final weight) of raw prawns – peeled (and tails removed), deveined and cut into 2.5cm pieces. Note – the original recipe said 10 prawns, however I wanted a lot more!
• 1-2 red chillies – deseeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
• 125ml white wine
• 2 handfuls of basil leaves – torn
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup frozen peas – blanched by placing in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them, then rinsing and draining under cold water.

Method

1. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frypan over a high heat. Add the prawns and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the chilli and garlic. Allow to cook, stirring, for another minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 90 seconds and then add the basil, peas, salt and pepper.
4. Drain the pasta (reserving some of the water) and add to the pan (while it is still on the heat). Add some of the pasta cooking water or a bit more oil and toss/stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Prawn Linguine by Karen Martini – Better Homes and Gardens