Prawn and Chilli Linguine

I love prawns.  It might seem decadent to cook raw prawns 'just' for yourself but you can get some pretty good value raw prawns in the freezer section.  Look out for when they're on offer and they're a great thing to have as a standby meal which feels anything but a standby; it even feels pretty luxurious.

I've been cooking more pasta without tomato based sauces recently; like my mackerel pasta.  The great thing about them is they taste so fresh and light.  Perfect for the last days of summer and they're so quick to make, they're ideal for eating after a hard session with an exercise DVD (damn you Bob Harper!)  Let's face it, we're all busy people.  When you have a child to put to bed, exercise to do, the last thing you want to do is spend ages preparing a meal.

By including the courgette, you cut down on the carbs a bit and introduce a vegetable.  The courgette is very lightly cooked so it still has a bit of bite which works well with the al dente linguine.  I like it that way but if you prefer it softer, just cook it a little longer.  The chilli adds a touch of zing without being massively hot and the wine lends a slight hint of acidity.  So all very simple but a lovely balanced flavour.

Prawn and Chilli Linguine - Serves 1

Ingredients

10 Raw prawns, defrosted if frozen

1/2 Dried chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp white wine

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

60g, 2oz Linguine

75g, 2.5oz Courgette (zucchini)

1 tbsp parsley

Salt to taste

Additional olive oil to drizzle (optional)

Method

Put a saucepan of water on to boil, when boiling, add the linguine and cook following pack instructions.  Check 1 minute before it's due to be done as some packs are quite generous with their cooking times.

While the pasta is cooking, grate the courgette into a bowl then heat a non stick frying pan with the oil.  Add the garlic and chilli followed by the prawns.  Stir until nearly cooked, then add the wine.  Bubble until the wine is nearly evaporated and the prawns are cooked.  Add the courgette and parsley and immediately take off the heat adding a little salt to taste.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a little of the water it was cooked in.  Mix the pasta with the prawn mix and add a little of the cooked pasta water if liked to produce more of a 'sauce'.

Serve into a bowl, drizzle with a little extra olive oil if liked.  Devour, then collapse on the sofa!