Pesto & Prawn Pasta

This quick and delicious pasta the perfect Week Night food for a date night in, or to eat by the fire with a holiday movie playing. This casual meal paired with an outstanding and vibrant white will keep your palate excited and wanting more.

Ingredients

500g Spaghetti Pasta

1 kg Large, raw Prawns (I used 16/20)

1 tbsp oil

Salt and Pepper

Chili flakes, optional

¼ Lemon

Pasta water

180 g jar Pesto

1 cup Shredded Parmesan


Method

We will be using the starchy pasta water to create a creamy pasta sauce, do not dump your pasta water

Begin heating pasta water in a large pot. Salt the water with a handful of salt. 

Prep your prawns. They will most likely be deveined, but ensure that the vein sack is removed and the shell is discarded. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. 

Add pasta to water and set a timer to cook 1 minute less then the instructions on the box.

Toss prawns in the heated pan and arrange with tongs in an even layer. Season them with salt, pepper and chili flakes if using. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes and flip. Cook until they just turn white throughout and no longer, about 1 more minute. Squeeze lemon juice over prawns. Transfer prawns into a bowl and set aside. 

In the same frying pan add the whole jar of pesto. When the pasta has cooked (less one minute), use tongs to transfer it from the water to the frying pan with the pesto - preserving the water. Add one ladle of pasta water and all of the parmesan. Cook and stir with your tongs over medium heat for at least one minute until the sauce turns creamy and coats the pasta. If the sauce over-thickens, add more pasta water. Top with prawns and serve.

Tasting Notes with Randi: A Bordeaux Blanc

Delicious Pairings with Bordeaux Blanc

Goats cheese, soft and hard

Blue cheeses

Seafood, including lobster, prawns, scallops, octopus, and oysters

Chicken dishes with cream sauces

Grilled vegetables