Prawns and Pasta

It's the hottest day of the year, 27ºC(81ºF)! Blistering for the BC coast. Needless to say no one was pining for a huge hot meal heavy with meat. I proposed  prawns and pasta to Andree and she said, "That was good! I'd like that!" So dinner would be easy to make!

I decided to use another jar of Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Tomato Basil Sauce. It's difficult to make a sauce that tastes better than this one. I've done it, but it's hard. So on a hot day a jar of really good ready made is ideal. I did have to cook the prawns so there was a little more than opening a jar to this meal, but not much.

I diced a large shallot from the garden. (small onion would do) Smashed and diced two cloves of garlic and put them in an oiled pan to sweat.  I buy frozen raw prawns which always come with the tail on.  I don't like having to pick things off my plate, eat with my fingers and discard the tail...somewhere. Prawn tails are fine in an appetizer but in an entree make everything on the plate edible. Hold a knife sharp side up and press the dull side down across the end of the meat just above the tail, then pull the meat away from the tail. When all the prawns are cleaned, season them with a little salt and put them in the pan with the onion and garlic. When the first side of the prawns becomes opaque, turn them over and do the other side.  Before the prawns are cooked right through take them out of the pan.

I put three one cup servings of Barilla rotini pasta in boiling salted water. I put the jar of sauce in the prawn pan and put it back on medium heat. When the pasta is two minutes from being done put the prawns into the sauce to finish cooking.  Serve the sauce over the pasta and top with fresh grated parmesan.

This is a delicious meal and all the ingredients can be on hand all the time so it can be quickly thrown together for unexpected guests.