Prawn and Mascarpone Pasta

1 recipe, a thousand interpretations

When I was a first year student my method of cooking tomato sauce was simply throwing chopped tomatoes in a pot with a little seasoning.  Now I am adding new seasonings and sauces and I'm becoming much braver when it comes to re inventing simple dishes.  When I mean simple I mean simple student food, of course to the Italians making just a good tomato sauce is a skillful technique to master.
 




The recipe has been adapted from 'Asda Magazine' (Publicis Blueprint Ltd, 2012).

Ingredients:

1 onion, 2tbsps olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 400g plum tomatoes, 3tbsps tomato puree, 1tsp brown sugar, 3tsps basil, 2tsps dried oregano, 3tbsps of slightly diluted fiery tomato chilli ketchup, some frozen peas, 1 small bag of defrosted prawns, 1 large spoonful of marscarpone.

Method:

1. Chop up the onion and garlic. (Keep separate on the chopping board.)
2. Blend the plum tomatoes.  Then cook pasta to instructions.
3. Gently fry the onion in a pan with the oil on a low heat until the onion is soft.
4. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Pour in the plum tomatoes.
6. Add the sauce, puree and sugar.
7. Cook through for 7 minutes (roughly), then add the peas and prawns.
8. When the peas and prawns have almost cooked and the herbs and marscapone.
9. Season to taste.
10.  Serve with pasta when everything has been cooked.

Saffy's Top Tip:

To defrost the prawns put them on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 6 hours.  If they are still slightly frozen, put them in a bowl with boiling hot water and leave for about an hour before using them.  They must be used the day you defrost them.  Always refer back to the packaging.