whine & dine

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Okay fine, it’s not summer (in Hong Kong – or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere – anyway), but I think we’re all too familiar with those weeknights when you need to rustle up a quick dinner. And whether it’s a hot summer’s day where you’re dreading the idea of spending a few hours in a hot kitchen, or it’s a gloomy wintry evening where all you want is to curl up on the couch with a warm plate of dinner in front of the tube, this pasta’s for you.

I’ve been cooking a lot more these days. Honestly, as much as I love food and cooking, I only used to average about 3-5 meals a week where I cooked. But in the last couple of months, I’ve been packing daily lunch bentos for the bunny and I, as well as cooking many more dinners (and weekend brunches) for the two of us. It’s probably also got something to do with the new kitchen, which has much more space than the old one did. :)

This pasta is one of my weeknight staples – it’s really easy, and most of the ingredients are things I tend to have on hand: a couple of fresh, good-quality sausages, a handful of fresh prawns (or scallops, or lump crabmeat), chilli flakes, and garlic. It goes great with short pasta like fusilli or shells, which grab bits of the crispy sausage meat, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well with noodles if that’s all you’ve got in the larder. If you don’t have any seafood around, you could just leave it out, and even use different types of sausages (like fresh lamb ones). And last night’s addition of roasted cherry tomatoes added a delightful explosion of tangy sweetness in every other mouthful.

And, I know I say this in pretty much every recipe I post (but only because it’s true!), it’s really fast and easy to do. By the time you’ve roasted off your tomatoes, the pasta will be cooked and you can add everything into the pan where your sausage and prawns are to combine it all. Seriously – 25 minutes tops and you’ll be out of the kitchen. Time yourself and see!

Pasta with Sausagemeat, Prawns, and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

100g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 good-quality fresh pork sausages (I used spicy spanish ones here)
5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
10 fresh prawns, peeled and deveined
chilli flakes
200g dried pasta
olive oil
salt and pepper
pecorino or parmeggiano for grating

Preheat your oven to 200C and bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Lay the cherry tomatoes cut side up on a baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil (about 1-2 tbsp) and season quite liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until they’ve shrunken by about half.

Once your tomatoes are in the oven, cook your pasta according to the packet instructions, or until al dente, and prep the rest of your ingredients (slice the garlic, peel the prawns, squeeze the sausagemeat out of their casings).

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the sausagemeat over high heat. Break up any clumps of meat with the back of a wooden spoon, and fry until the meat is well browned and slightly crispy. Add in the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, then push the meat and garlic to one side and fry the prawns until just pink – about 1 minute per side. Season well with salt, pepper and add about 2 tsp of chilli flakes (or more, to taste).

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add it to your sauté pan, together with the roasted tomatoes. Toss it all together, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen it, so that the “sauce” clings to the pasta. Taste, and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Divide between two warm plates, and grate over a generous amount of cheese. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

PS: If you had some on hand, a sprinkle of freshly chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley would be great to brighten up this dish, both visually and with that slightly peppery bite.

Yield: Serves 2