Any short, curly or chunky pasta would work well for this recipe but I particularly like fusilli. It will spring like a bouncy coil as it boils and will trap prawns and peas in a lemony, cheesy béchamel sauce. This is a lovely mix of textures and flavours and a useful rustle-from-fridge-and-freezer sort of supper.
Serves 2
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
200g fusilli pasta
200g frozen petits pois
150g raw king prawns
25g butter
25g flour
250ml light stock (made with prawn shells or ¼ (quarter)
chicken stock cube
1 lemon
100g Greek feta
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan or similar hard cheese
Boil the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions, adding the peas for the last couple of minutes cooking. Drain and cover to keep hot. Meanwhile, if you can be bothered, run a knife down the inside curl of the peeled prawns and swipe away the black line (full intestinal tract). It has no noticeable affect on flavour and isn’t harmful; this is just a matter of look and preference. Pat dry. Melt the butter in a medium pan, stir in the flour until smooth then add the milk gradually, stirring then whisking smooth. Adjust the heat and simmer gently for a couple of minutes before you taste and adjust the seasoning with a pinch salt. Use a microplane to zest half the lemon over the top. Stir and simmer for a further minute before you crumble the feta into the sauce with the Parmesan. When molten, stir in the prawns, stirring as they turn pink. Stir pasta and peas into the prawns. Add a squeeze of lemon if you think the sauce needs it; I did, adding about 1 tbsp. Devour immediately.