Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Italian
Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Saucy

Here’s a restaurant-quality pasta that’s quick and easy to make for an everyday meal. It makes a wow of a dinner-party dish, too. You could use ready-peeled uncooked prawns if you don’t want to peel them yourself.

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 4
Prep time: 8 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins
Equipment: Large saucepan with lid; colander;
large frying pan; tongs

Sea salt
500g linguine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 long red chilli, sliced
600g shelled and deveined uncooked prawns
(see NOTE, below)
2 tbsp Pernod
(see NOTE, below)
Cracked black pepper
80g baby rocket
Extra virgin olive oil
for drizzling

METHOD

1. Bring saucepan of salted water to boil and cook pasta for 8 mins or according to packet instructions. Drain and keep aside 1/4 cup of pasta water.
2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in frying pan over high heat. Add garlic and chilli and cook for 2 to 3 mins until bubbling but not coloured. Add prawns and cook for 3 to 4 mins or until just cooked through.
3. Add Pernod and light with a flame to burn off alcohol. When flame extinguishes itself, season and add pasta, pasta water and rocket. Toss to coat. Remove from heat, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Note: To shell and devein prawns, cut through shell with kitchen scissors. Pull head off but leave tails on. Remove intestinal tract with a small sharp knife. Pernod is an aniseed-flavoured spirit from France, about $40 for 700ml. It’s worth having a bottle in the cupboard for cooking – and drinking!