Prawn paccheri

This is a dish we had on our travels. We were visiting a fish market in Sicily, eating in a restaurant right in the middle of the market, surrounded by all the fish stalls. Simplicity is the key to this one. It’s a big hit of prawn and the almonds add a nice texture. The pasta shape is a fantastic vehicle for the sauce. If you can’t get paccheri, use a large rigatoni.

Serves 68

Prawn bisque

1kg prawns, shells on

1 carrot

1 red onion

1 fennel bulb

1 celery stalk

8 garlic cloves

1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 sprig fresh rosemary, picked

1 tsp fresh chilli flakes

2 cups white wine

1L basic tomato sauce or a goodquality passata

2 cups water

Almond pesto 1⁄2 cup toasted almonds 1⁄2 cup sliced fresh parsley 1⁄2 cup sliced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves zest of 2 lemons about 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To serve

660g880g dried paccheri (depending on how many people you are serving) olive oil, for cooking

1⁄4 cup flaked almonds, toasted

Method

To make the prawn bisque, remove the heads and shells from the prawns and set aside. Refrigerate the prawn meat until needed.

Roughly chop the carrot, onion, fennel, celery and garlic and add to a saucepan with the olive oil, rosemary and chilli flakes. Sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft, but without colour, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to medium, add the prawn heads and shells and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze with the wine. Add the tomato sauce or passata and water and gently simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Blend in a bar blender or a powerful food processor in small batches. Once you have blended it well, strain through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt.

To make the almond pesto, place the almonds, parsley and basil on a chopping board and chop until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and microplane the garlic and lemon zest in. Pour in enough olive oil to bind. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.

To serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the paccheri according to the packet instructions. Once al dente, strain into a large colander and toss with a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the prawn meat and stir a couple of times. Add twothirds of the bisque to the pan along with the paccheri and heat through. By this time, the prawns will be cooked. If you prefer the pasta a little wetter, add the remaining bisque.

Remove from the heat and stir through the pesto. Divide among serving bowls and top with the flaked almonds.