Nigella's Prawn Pasta Rosa

Here's one of those great quick and easy meals that are ideal for a family dinner.

Luckily both my children love prawns, which comes in very handy as they're so quick to cook and make a nice change from chicken or pork. It's not quite a storecupboard recipe as mascarpone isn't something I always have in the fridge but with a bit of forward planning it's super quick to assemble and always goes down well.

The original recipe was for two people but I have adapted it to feed the four of us.

Prawn Pasta Rosa
(adapted from Italianissimo by Nigella Lawson)

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato puree
6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons mascarpone
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic oil
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (I tend to leave this out)
225g raw peeled prawns (or small cooked prawns)
100ml vermouth (or white wine)
350g pasta
salt for pasta water

1) Put a pan of water on to boil, adding salt when it comes to the boil, and then cook the pasta according to the instruction on the pack.

2) Whisk together the tomato puree and milk, add the mascarpone then whisk again to combine.

3) In a large pan or wok warm the garlic oil and add the chilli flakes (if using). Stir then add the prawns and stir-fry for a minute or two (longer if frozen) until cooked through.

4) Pour in the vermouth and let it bubble up and reduce a little then add the pink sauce. Cook, stirring, until it is hot throughout, checking that the prawns are also cooked.

5) Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine, before serving.

Serves two adults and two children

Prawn & Coconut Satay Broth

It's no secret that I'm a fan of a quick, after-work dinner so I was especially happy when this recipe turned out to be a success. It's yet another find from one of my favourite recipe books, In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt which contains so many great recipes that it's must for, well, anyone really.

This particular recipe comes under the chapter headed-up "Lazy" so I was on to winner from the start. I find some quick-to-make dishes can end up a bit disappointing, taste-wise, but that definitely wasn't the case this time. Coconut and peanut are always a great combination and both flavours are boosted by the salty soy sauce and sharpness from the lime.

The problem I had with this dish was the fact that I only have one suitable bowl for this sort of thing. I had to eat my portion out of a pyrex bowl! I'll have to get shopping as I'll definitely be making this again.

Prawn & Coconut Satay Broth
(adapted from In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt)

2 strips of medium egg noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons smooth or crunchy peanut butter
200ml coconut milk
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
200g cooked king prawns, defrosted if frozen (I used uncooked prawns and just cooked them through in the wok before starting on the rest of the recipe)
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of soy sauce (or more to taste)
a squeeze of lime juice
a large handful of coriander, roughly chopped (most definitely optional in my case)

1) Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet

2) Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan and briefly fry the garlic. Stir in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix together before adding the stock.

3) Bring to a simmer then add the prawns, spring onion, chilli flakes and soy sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the prawns are heated through, and then add the cooked and drained noodles.

4) Return to a simmer and finally add a squeeze of lime juice and the fresh coriander. Serve straight away.

Serves 2

Prawn Curry

This is just a quick post so that I can share this lovely prawn curry recipe I came across a couple of weeks ago. I found it on one of my favourite food blogs - The Goddess's Kitchen. I love Maria's blog as the recipes she writes about always sound so tempting and are just the sorts of things I like to cook. This one in particular appealed to me as it sounded perfect for weeknight dinners.

It turned out just as I'd hoped - straightforward and delicious. You could even make the sauce in advance and then add the prawns and reheat it later if you wanted to save some more time.

You can find the recipe here.