King Prawn Radiatori with Chilli and Citrus

Serves 2

Shell-on prawns doing double duty. The heads and shells make a rich, spiced stock that becomes the backbone of a silky, creamy sauce with a gentle chilli warmth and a bright citrus finish. All those Radiatori ruffles were made for catching a sauce like this.

Ingredients

• 12 shell-on king prawns
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli, left whole (or any fresh chilli you have, or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes)
• 7 allspice berries
• A handful of parsley stalks
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 star anise
• 1 shard of cinnamon
• 1 glass of white wine
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 200g cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 250g Monty & Sons Radiatori
• 125ml single cream
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp mixed orange and lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Peel the prawns and set the meat aside, keeping the heads and shells.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a pot and fry the heads and shells until they take on a little colour. Add the parsley stalks, tomato paste, chilli and whole spices and cook for a minute or two, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly.
3. Deglaze with the wine, season with a little salt and top up with boiling water. Simmer for 25 minutes, crushing the shells, chilli and spices as you go.
4. Meanwhile, fry the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil with a generous pinch of salt. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until the pan is dry.
5. De-vein and finely chop the prawns, add to the pan and fry for 5 minutes or so.
6. Strain the stock into the pan and simmer gently until the sauce has reduced, about 10 minutes.
7. Add the cream and cook for a further 10 minutes. Check for salt and add plenty of black pepper.
8. Finish with the lemon juice, chopped parsley and the zests.
9. Cook the Radiatori in salty boiling water until very al dente, then finish cooking it in the sauce, adding a splash of pasta water to loosen.
10. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, and Parmesan if you like.

Tip: Don't rush the stock. Those 25 minutes of simmering and crushing are where all the flavour comes from. If you're using a whole chilli, keeping it intact gives gentle warmth, crushing it as you go turns up the heat, so cook to your crowd.