This might just be my favourite combination for a pasta sauce.
Slice 400g (14 oz) of white zucchini (courgettes) and 400g (14 oz) of prawns (shrimp) into similar sizes. Have ready a little white wine, 4 minced cloves of garlic, chilli flakes, salt, freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and the finely grated zest of 1 lemon. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Fry them briefly and the add the zucchini slices, seasoned with some salt. Gently cook the zucchini until quite soft but still holding it’s shape. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. A good quality pasta is essential – bronze-extruded pasta is the best as it has a rough texture to grip the sauce. I chose reginette (malfadine), a flat ribbon pasta with ruffled edges which is designed to hold thick sauces. When the water boils add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended time. When the zucchini is soft, deglaze with a little white wine then add the prawns. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook gently, stirring, until the prawns are nearly cooked. When the pasta is ready, use tongs to remove the pasta from the water and add it to the sauce. You will need some of the pasta water to make the sauce and a generous amount of butter. Melt the butter through and add the pasta water little by little, stirring until the sauce coats the pasta. Finally, add the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and season again to taste. Serve with a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Parmesan is not a traditional addition to seafood pasta but it’s a matter of personal taste so you decide!
michelle picker cooks 