My husband and I love shrimp, really in any form, so it’s a bit frustrating that my son refuses to eat them!  I still remember when I tried to feed him a prawn at Esther’s flat in London… he told me I was giving him a snake!

However, this does not stop me from using prawns to cook one of my favourite pasta dishes at every chance I get. It’s really fast and easy, yet it’s quite colourful and it makes a very good impression on guests.

Here is the recipe for four people:

Linguine with prawns, courgettes and cherry tomatoes:

• 400gr of linguine (spaghetti is fine too)
• 2 courgettes
• 250gr of cherry tomatoes
• 20 large prawns or shrimps
• 2 cloves of garlic
• olive oil

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and grate the courgettes with a cheese grater. Put about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan or wok and add the garlic cloves (I leave them whole, just to flavour the oil), and heat up until it starts frying. Add the prawns and cook for just a few minutes; I think it’s better to undercook them rather than overdo it. Take them out and peel them. In the same pan add the cherry tomatoes, add salt and cook for a few minutes over very high heat. They should sizzle until they start loosing their juice and softening up. Turn off the heat, the tomatoes do not have to cook (otherwise they loose the skin) they just need to become softer and more flavoursome. Add the courgette, mix with the tomatoes but do not turn on the heat. In the meantime you should cook the linguine, drain them “very al dente” and put them in the pan. Add the prawn and mix over a high heat for about one minute. Sprinkle some olive oil if needed, and you can also add some chilli flakes if you like it. Yummy!

And yes, you can use cooked prawns…just add them at the end. Maybe a bit less tasty…but even quicker!

-Michela