Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shares some professional techniques to make your cooking easier. This month, he shows us how to cook a prawn, tomato and white wine sauce to go with wholemeal spaghetti.
Wholemeal spaghetti with prawn, tomato and white wine sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
170g wholemeal spaghetti
200g raw prawns
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, diced
½ red capsicum, diced
¼-½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1-2 Tbsp white wine
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes (canned is fine)
zest and juice of half a large lemon
½ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup basil (or other herbs), chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Method
1) This dish needs careful timing so the sauce and the pasta are ready together. Start by bringing water to boil for the pasta - wholemeal pasta takes longer to cook than plain pasta.
2) When boiling, add the pasta; as it softens, stir so it submerges. Keep the pot boiling vigorously for the time specified on the packet or until the pasta is al dente (see step 15). Meanwhile prepare the sauce.
3) Peel the prawns: twist and pull off the head.
4) Run your thumb down the underbody to loosen the shell and lift off.
5) Squeeze the tail between thumb and forefinger and pull to remove.
6) Slit the flesh down the back with the point of a sharp knife and remove the black vein.
This doesn't taste good and can be gritty, depending on what they have been eating. Rinse and drain the prawns. Or you could use ready chopped, frozen prawns or other fish.
7) Peel the onion and dice finely.
8) Remove seeds and inner membrane from the capsicum and chilli (if using) and cut into similar-sized pieces so everything will cook at the same speed.
9) Slice the garlic finely. Chop the parsley and basil.
10) Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and capsicum first. Red onion is not as strongly flavoured as white onion so you can be more generous.
11) Sweat the onion and capsicum with the lid on over medium-low heat until softened but not browned. Stir in garlic and chilli. When the vegetables have softened, add the prawns and cook until they become opaque.
12) Season with salt and pepper, then add the white wine.
13) Stir to deglaze then add the chopped, peeled tomatoes and their juice and heat through.
14) Grate the lemon zest over and squeeze the juice in. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
15) To tell if the pasta is al dente, bite a small piece. It should be slightly firm in the centre. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the water.
16) Add the drained pasta to the prawn and tomato sauce. If it seems a little dry, add some of the pasta cooking water.
17) Stir in the chopped herbs and toss together.
18) Serve with a lemon wedge and a little grated parmesan on top if you wish.
• If you would like to request to a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know. Write to Cooking 101, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin, or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with cooking 101 in the subject line.
To check earlier Cooking 101 columns visit www.odt.co.nz and search for ''cooking 101''.
More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com