Prawn Linguine

Serves 4

A basic prawn linguine is nice, but there are valuable tips and tricks that you can use to elevate the dish to a whole new level. Transport yourself to southern Italy and create this crowd-pleaser for your friends and family.

400g of Linguine
350g Raw Peeled Prawns
400g of Cherry Vine Tomatoes
1 Knob of Butter
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Tsp of Chilli Flakes
125ml of White Wine or Vermouth
1 Tsp of Tomato Paste
1 Tsp of Sugar
1/2 a Lemon
Small Bunch of Parsley
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Slice the garlic and finely chop the parsley stems, saving the leaves for later. Add a splash of olive oil into a large pan with the butter on medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, chilli flakes and parsley stems to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook for a minute or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Pour the wine or vermouth into the pan and simmer until the liquid has reduced, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile remove the tomatoes from the vine, saving the vines (trust me), and slice the tomatoes in half. Tip the tomatoes and vines into the pan and give it a stir. This may seem strange, but the vines provide bags of flavour and will be removed before serving. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan along with the sugar and tomato paste. Give it a good stir and season well with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes have softened into a sauce, stirring occasionally.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook your linguine according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 100ml of pasta water.

Finely chop the parsley leaves. Remove the vines from the sauce and add the linguine and reserved pasta water. Add the prawns and quickly stir them through, then take the pan off the heat. Add the juice and zest of the lemon, the parsley leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine. The heat from the pan will cook the prawns in minutes.

Divide between bowls and serve immediately.