Benedetto Cavalieri spaghettone with red prawns and wild fennel
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This glorious red prawn spaghetti recipe from Daniele Usai is simplicity itself, using the flesh of the red prawns to create a simple tartare, and the heads to create a highly flavoured pasta sauce.
Ingredients
Red prawns with spaghetti
- 16 red prawns , medium-sized
- dill
- 360g of spaghetti , preferably Benedetto Cavalieri
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- Sarawak black pepper
Pasta sauce
- 2 spring onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 50ml of cognac
- 500g of cherry tomatoes, halved
- chilli, as needed (fresh)
- extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- fennel seed powder
- anise seed powder
- wild fennel
Method
1
Shell the prawns and keep the heads for the sauce. Chop the meat finely with a knife and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Make 4 quenelles out of the mixture
- 16 red prawns , medium-sized
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- Sarawak black pepper
2
For the sauce, sweat the spring onions with 2 of the garlic cloves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Remove the garlic, add the prawn heads and increase the heat. Brown the heads very well then add the cognac and cook until reduced
- 2 spring onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- extra virgin olive oil
- 50ml of cognac
3
Add the tomato and dill and continue to simmer for about 1 hour. Cool and blitz in a blender to obtain a smooth and silky cream
- 500g of cherry tomatoes, halved
- dill
4
Sweat the remaining 2 garlic cloves with some fresh chilli in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Remove the garlic and add the red prawn sauce to the pan
- chilli, as needed (fresh)
- 2 garlic cloves
- extra virgin olive oil
5
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente – remember that spaghetti will be cooked in the pan with the sauce for the last 2 minutes so do not overcook
- 360g of spaghetti , preferably Benedetto Cavalieri
6
Mix the pasta with the sauce, add some olive oil and season with salt
- extra virgin olive oil
7
Create pasta ‘nests’ using a carving fork and spoon and place onto each plate. Place the red prawn quenelles on top of the nest, sprinkle with fennel and anise and garnish with some dill
- fennel seed powder
- anise seed powder
- wild fennel
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Benedetto Cavalieri spaghettone with red prawns and wild fennel
