#gamberetti

I love prawns, and I love pasta. My favourite dish when going to Vapianos is the Gamberetti e Spinach with Linguine. It comes with a delicious creamy saucy which absolutely pleases the palate. However, I can’t always go and buy the dish, so I thought it best to learn how to make it myself at home. So here is my adaptation of my favourite pasta dish.

Ingredients:

King Prawns 225g

Vegetable oil/Rapeseed oil 3tbsp

Chilli flakes 2tsps.

Onion 1

Linguine pasta (or preferred pasta)

Single cream 300ml

Pesto 2tbsp

Salt and pepper

Spinach* optional

Method

Before you start anything, fill a pot half way with water and leave to simmer.

Whilst waiting for the water to simmer, get your onion, and dice it, then leave it to the side. The water should be simmering by the time you’re done, and at this point you should add your pasta. My preferred pasta for this dish is linguine, but it’ll go well with tagliatelle or spaghetti (well, it’ll go well with any pasta really, but those are my favourites for this dish!)

Whilst your pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, add your oil and leave it to heat up for just about 2 minutes or so before chucking in your prawns. Add in the onions you had previously chopped, followed by the chilli. This could be either chilli flakes, powder, paste or fresh chillies, all to your taste. Its recommended that you only add a little, and as you cook, if you feel you need a bit more you can add a little extra.

Pour in the single cream, mix, and then add the pesto. I used the Sacla classic basil pesto, and added in 2 tablespoons, again, you can add more or less, depending on your taste.

Follow this with salt and black pepper, then stir.

The cream will start to thicken a little bit, if you’ve tasted the sauce and it’s not quite right, make the necessary adjustments, and if the sauce is starting to become too thick and a tablespoon of milk (or if single cream if you have any extra).

Once adjusted to your palate, your pasta should be ready, so drain the water out using a sieve, and then pour the pasta into your creamy sauce and mix. For added flavour, throw in a couple spinach leaves, let cook for just a few minutes, and then you’re ready to plate up!