Paccheri with prawns and parsley sauce
With paccheri pasta (a bit like bigger rigatoni), prawns and courgettes, chef Theo Randall says this is his son Max’s favourite recipe.
“If there’s any of that pasta or prawns in the house, he insists that I make it,” Randall says with a laugh. “It’s one of my signature dishes at home, because it’s one thing that gets cooked an awful lot. And he’s got very good taste, because it does taste delicious!”
Paccheri recipe with prawn, courgette and parsley sauce
Ingredients:
(Serves 4 as a starter)
350g paccheri
3tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
2 courgettes, cut into 1cm matchsticks
150g Datterini (baby plum) tomatoes, halved 1tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves 250g uncooked prawns, halved lengthways (frozen are fine)
75ml dry white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method:
1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the paccheri and boil for two minutes less than the packet instructions, until very al dente. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Gently heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and courgettes. Cook for three minutes to soften, then add the tomatoes, parsley and halved prawns. Season with salt and pepper, add the white wine and cook on a medium heat for about three minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half.
2. Once the pasta is ready, using a slotted spoon or small sieve, transfer it to the sauce. Add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and cook for a further two minutes, until the sauce becomes syrupy. Add the final tablespoon of olive oil and check the seasoning. The pasta should have a lovely bite to it and it should be coated in the sauce. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.
W The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall, photography by Lizzie Mayson, is published by Quadrille, priced £26. Available now.