This simple starter contains two of the staple Valentine’s day ingredients: seafood and pasta. Make the most of the prawns by roasting the shells to flavour the olive oil. There’s also a bit of a punch here from fresh chillies (though you could substitute dried flakes [or milder peppers] for a gentler heat). Orichette (literally ‘little ears’) are a classic pasta shape that act as little cups to hold the flavoured oil.
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/Serves 2
Ingredients:
12 whole shell-on large raw prawns
6 tbsp olive oil
150g (1/3 lb) orecchiette pasta
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 red chilli, very finely minced (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes)
a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method:
Twist the heads off the prawns and peel the shells from the bodies (but don’t discard them), leaving the tails on. Cut down the back of the prawns and remove the black vein inside (this is actually the digestive tract). Give the prawns a rinse then pat dry on kitchen paper.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the heads and shells for 5 minutes. Scoop out the heads and shells with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the flavoured oil as possible.
Cook the orecchiette in salted boiling water following the package instructions. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water.
Add the garlic and chilli to the oil. Fry gently so the garlic doesn’t brown then add the butterflied prawns and a pinch of salt, and cook until just pink. Add the orecchiette to the pan with enough reserved pasta water to make it saucy, and toss to combine. Add parsley and toss once again before serving.
