Tagliatelle with Prawns in a Sweet Tomato Sauce

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe that I have been adapting from a Sunday supplement pullout for many years (but I think it is from Jamie’s Kitchen or you can find it on his website) and really a rather good one at that.

With this one you should try and get hold of small (and therefore it seems by necessity cooked) shrimp or prawns as they will be that little bit sweeter and I think their small size just goes better with this recipe than, say, tiger prawns or large uncooked prawns. As they are pre-cooked of course you will need to make sure that you don’t then overcook them in the sauce. You want to make sure that they are heated through but haven’t gone tough and rubbery.


Tagliatelle with Prawns in a Sweet Tomato Sauce
serves 2

4 ripe tomatoes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
190 g small peeled prawns or shrimps
1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 shot of Cognac
75 ml single cream
200 g dried tagliatelle
1 small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
30g ricotta (or feta)

Blanch and skin the tomatoes, then halve and chop pretty finely.

Put a pan of salted water on to heat for the pasta. Put a glug or so of olive oil in a second pan, and fry the prawns, garlic, lemon zest and tomatoes for a couple of minutes. Add the cognac and flame if you like: it will only do so for about 20 seconds.

Add the cream, allow to simmer gently for a couple more minutes and then remove the pan from the heat. Season the sauce carefully with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Meanwhile cook the tagliatelle according to the packet instructions and if your sauce will have cooled by the time the pasta is cooked, reheat it. Take this opportunity to check the seasoning carefully too.

Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and then throw back in the pan and toss with the parsley in the pan in which it was cooked. Divide the pasta between plates and top with the shrimp sauce. Crumble over a little ricotta or feta.