Sometimes it's nice to eat something special for no special reason. Whether it's when you want to impress or just because, this roasted garlic & prawn pasta is delicious in its simplicity.
The tomato sauce is a mixture of fresh, ripe roma tomatoes, sweet basil, onion, roasted garlic and chili flakes. The prawns are lightly sautéed in butter and white wine and then mixed in with the sauce just before serving.
The pasta is fresh angel hair that I buy from my local Italian grocer.
Roasted Garlic & Prawn Pasta Recipe
(Serves 4)
20 prawns, shelled & deveined
4-5 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
6 cloves of garlic
1 medium white onion, diced
A handful of fresh sweet basil, roughly chopped
1 tsp of chili flakes
60 ml of dry white wine
1 tsp of sea salt
3 tbs of olive oil
Fresh pasta for 4
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Wrap the garlic in foil and then roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Once ready, remove from oven and let the garlic cool. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and set aside. Discard the skins.
- Heat 2 tbs of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Saute the onions for 5 minutes. Add the chili flakes and fry for another minute. Add the roasted garlic and fry for about 40 seconds.
- Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and turn down the heat slightly. Gently fry for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil. This is for the pasta. If you're using fresh pasta then it only requires about 4 minutes of cooking. I like to have to water ready so I can cook the pasta just before the sauce and prawns are ready.
- Now for the prawns -- they should be cooked last or at the same time the pasta is cooking.
- Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Once the oil gets all swirly in the pan, throw in the prawns. Saute them for about 30 seconds and then add the wine. Shake the pan to move the prawns around for about 40 seconds and then remove them from the heat.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato sauce. Throw in the prawns and stir well to coat them in the sauce. Add a handful of freshly chopped sweet basil and then serve immediately.
I love prawns and pasta! And ripe tomatoes? Well, they seem to always sell them prematurely plucked here :( Canned is almost always a better choice for us.
Posted by: manggy | 21 July 2008 at 12:34 PM
I think I will treat myself, it looks amazing!
Posted by: noble pig | 22 July 2008 at 03:17 AM
Simple is always best when it comes to summer cooking - and you have my mouth watering! I bet you get stellar shrimp out in Vancouver too, I know the salmon I ate out there was next to none in terms of quality!
Posted by: Sarah | 22 July 2008 at 04:49 AM
Something about prawns and pasta always makes me happy. This one does, very.
Posted by: [eatingclub] vancouver || js | 22 July 2008 at 11:32 AM
pasta with prawns and garlic are truly the best combo for me!! yummy
Posted by: dhanggit | 22 July 2008 at 07:00 PM
My husband is gonna love this, Syrie. Love!
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | 22 July 2008 at 10:56 PM
I love this Syrie--prawns, angel hair pasta, roasted garlic, butter, and white wine! You have all the right ingredients in your recipe. :)
Posted by: Rasa Malaysia | 23 July 2008 at 12:28 AM
Great blog you've got.
I love fresh seafood pasta done like this.
Posted by: Rojak Rendezvous | 23 July 2008 at 05:13 AM
Garlic and prawns is such a simple and yet such a great combo!
Posted by: Kevin | 23 July 2008 at 10:16 AM
Looks devine! Will be making it tonight!
Posted by: Nessy | 24 July 2008 at 12:36 AM
Syrie, this looks divine. I was just craving pasta with garlic, feta, basil, and olive oil when I woke up this morning. I will surely be adding shrimp to it for dinner tonight.
Posted by: Julia | 24 July 2008 at 01:10 AM
Hey Manggy. Canned toms will also work well. Cheers!
Thanks so much Noble Pig. Oink.
Hi Sarah, yep, the shrimp and salmon here are both pretty amazing. Especially the salmon. I've never tasted anything like it. Thanks for visiting.
Thanks for stopping by eating club!
Me too dhanggit. This recipe is my emergency recipe. Cheers.
Hope you both enjoy it Patricia!
Thanks Bee! Yep, it's a pretty simple but good combo.
Thanks so much Rojak!
My sentiments exactly Kevin!
Oh Nessy. You're a doll. Luv ya!
Thanks so much for stopping by Julia. Yum, I hadn't thought of including feta. For next time!
Posted by: Syrie | 24 July 2008 at 09:20 AM
Your photos and plating always look so simple yet delicious. Mmmmm
Posted by: Marc @ NoRecipes | 24 July 2008 at 02:02 PM
Your photos are stunning! I'm a fan of your blog and have given you an award. Check it out! (http://www.whiskblog.com/2008/07/more-this-and-that.html)
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
Posted by: Shari | 25 July 2008 at 07:54 AM
That looks heavenly...I love your blog! Great photo :)
Posted by: Katie | 25 July 2008 at 01:18 PM
Oooh, it's late and I'm hungry and I want a platter of this! I really like how you added chili flakes to it. YUM!
Posted by: Paula | 27 July 2008 at 06:31 PM
Thanks for visiting Marc!
Thanks so much Shari. I am honoured! This is my first award and I'm thrilled. Your blog is lovely. Thanks again.
Thanks so much Katie
Hi Paula, yes I tend to add chili flakes alot. They always lend the perfect amount of zing to many dishes. Thanks for visiting.
Posted by: Syrie | 28 July 2008 at 11:14 AM
Oh yumm! This looks so tastey!
Posted by: Laurie | 31 July 2008 at 12:59 PM
What a gorgeous dish! And all flavors that I love.
Posted by: Deborah | 06 August 2008 at 12:41 AM
yumm yumm... am craving for pasta very badly, just finished an episode of Japanese cooking drama series Bambino, a story about a college student wanting to perfect his cooking skills as a chef in an Italian restaurant. yum yumm craving even more after I saw this Roasted Garlic & Prawn Pasta Recipe
Posted by: galleryfang | 07 August 2008 at 03:31 PM
I tried this for dinner tonight, and it was really yummy! Everyone loved it and it was super easy to make and worked out perfectly.
Posted by: Alicia | 19 September 2008 at 11:47 AM