Linguine with prawns and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

200 grams egg pasta (tagliatelle or linguine)
100 gr king prawns, peeled
200 gr cherry tomatoes (organic if possible!)
crushed dried chili peppers, a big pinch
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
fresh basil (5 leaves)

1. Heat half a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan with the 2 cloves of garlic and chili until the garlic starts gently frying (not burning!). Add in the prawns and let them become golden.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them in. Cover with a lid and lower the heat. At the last moment, stir in the basil leaves (they shouldn't cook too much).
3. Boil your pasta according to the package instructions and drain when al dente.
4. Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan, and increase the heat, mixing constantly until all the extra liquid is absorbed and the pasta is well mixed with the condiment.

Enjoy!

Fresh spelt salad with tuna and capers

Tasty, quick recipe, ideal for the summer but also perfect for a dinner party - it contains only a handful of ingredients, but the flavour is wholesome, and it's super healthy too!

Ingredients (4 people)

12 fistfuls of spelt (easy to find in most supermarkets)
100 gr of canned tuna (in olive oil, not water or brine!, for best results)
small capers and flat-leaf parsley to taste
1 clove of peeled garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (for cooking the spelt)


Cook the spelt as you would cook pasta (but longer! usually 25 minutes), in boiling salted water - follow cooking instructions on the spelt's packaging for best results.
Drain the spelt and place it in a bowl; mix it with the tuna (drained from its oil), the capers and  a mix of finely chopped parsley and garlic. Mix well with 1 and a half table spoons of good quality extra-virgin olive oil, and serve lukewarm.

Pineapple and king prawn skewers (spiedini)

Image credits: eatfish.ca

Ingredients

500gr king prawns, peeled

1 large fresh pinapple, diced (in cubes of approx 3cm length)

[for the marinade:]

15cl freshly squeezed orange juice (not from a bottle!)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Prepare the marinade first, by mixing all the above ingredients in a bowl; then soak the prawns in it for 2 hours at least. Then create the skewers by alternating one prawn and one pineapple cube - use about 4-5 pineapple cubes per skewer, and add the rest to the marinade.

Place the marinade with the pineapple in a large shallow pan, and let it evaporate on low heat for 10/15 minutes, until it becomes more dense and gravy-like.

Lightly grill the skewers, salt and pepper to taste, and serve them with this sauce on the side.