Recipe: Spaghetti with prawns and chilli

I adapted this recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks, Nigella's Express {check out pg293 if you have it, for the original recipe}, and although on paper I should hate this {I don't like tomatoes or spring onions, I'm not great with chilli, and have rather gone off prawns}, I really enjoyed it, and will definitely make it again.

You need:

200g frozen, cooked prawns {defrosted}

250g spaghetti

2 x 15ml tbsp garlic oil

4 spring onions, finely sliced

1/2 tsp crushed chilli flakes {I added a LOT more than this}

200g sundried tomatoes, in oil

125ml white wine

50g rocket {I forgot to buy this, so we went without!}

fresh parsley, to garnish {I rarely buy fresh herbs, so used dried}

Method:

Drain the prawns and set aside. Put your spaghetti on to cook, according to the packet instructions.

Heat the garlic oil in a large pan, and fry the spring onions and chilli flakes for a couple of minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.

 

 Add in the tomatoes {and their oil} and the prawns {doesn't look very aesthetically pleasing, I know}, and give it all a good stir.

 Once the prawns and tomatoes are heated through, add in the white wine {if you haven't drunk it}, and let it bubble up. If using, add in the rocket at this point.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add into the pan, toss and ensure it's coated with the oily chilly prawny mixture! Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

As the title of Nigella's book would suggest, this is a really quick and easy dish to prepare, and could easily work as a starter if you're planning a Come Dine With Me special - in fact this recipe serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a starter. It is quite an oily dish, but I actually didn't mind that at all, and despite adding much more chilli than the recipe called for, it wasn't overpowering at all, so you can definitely use your creative license with this one. I would also probably do a little less pasta if you're making this just for two, unless you've a large appetite!