Prawn (tagliatelle) #584

Daily painting #584 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

My daughter is away on school camp so Ross (my son) asked if we could have prawns for supper...Amy will NOT, under any circumstances, eat prawns (it's the eyes!). I think Ross said it as a joke, so he was really surprised when I whisked him off with me after school to a fish market to buy prawns. The market is not in the nicest area of Durban so I was grateful my daughter wasn't with us (she would have had a fit heading off into such a dodgy area). But the seafood is delicious and fresh...and so worth it! So tonight I treated the boys with a lemon and garlic prawn tagliatelle and other than cleaning the prawns, it is SO easy to make ...and SO yummy! If you love prawns and pasta...this one is for you! I will share it with you...

• prawns (you can buy already peeled and shelled if you don't want to cut, clean and shell)
• tagliatelle pasta (you can use any shape pasta you like)
• small finely chopped onion
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• olive oil and knob of butter for frying
• salt and pepper
• lemon zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup of quality white wine
• extra knob of butter for sauce if needed (sorry this is not one for the diet book!)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley or coriander
• optional is a little chopped red chili (if you like it a little hot!)

Prawns cook quickly so start by cooking pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (just cooked).
While pasta cooks soften onions in a little butter and olive oil combined, once onions are soft add garlic (if added too soon, garlic can go bitter or burn). Toss prawns into the hot pan (season with salt and pepper) and as soon as the prawns colour, add wine and lemon zest and juice. If the sauce needs it, add a little extra butter. 
Drain pasta and toss the prawns and sauce through the pasta. Add the fresh parsley/coriander and check your seasoning. Retain a little of the cooking liquid from the pasta and add a little if needed as the pasta will start to absorb the sauce. Enjoy...

A delicious feast and SO easy (super quick too) and you are bound to impress! My amateur photography meant that by the time I got a couple of photos the sauce had probably gathered in the bottom of the bowl...but you get the idea! I was hero for a moment and my boys thought I was THE BEST....until I asked them to help me clean up!

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