THIS week we have put together two easy dinner recipes for the whole family. As many of us are trying to slowly settle back into a routine, we do not want to lose out on family mealtimes but sometimes a quick meal is all we have time for.
The prawn linguine is the perfect fast and tasty midweek dinner for those of us who are time poor.
If you are someone who finds cooking relaxing and likes to take their time over making dinner, the pea, lemon zest risotto is for you – it takes more time and attention, allowing you to zone out and enjoy the process.
To make it even easier, for both recipes you can use frozen ingredients if you don't have access to fresh produce.
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PRAWN LINGUINE
(Serves 4)
1kg prawns, cleaned, deshelled and deveined
4 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
200ml white wine
400g linguine
olive oil
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
Method:
Clean the prawns, remove from their shells and take out the vein. Finely chop the garlic and chilli. Add five tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan. Add the garlic and chilli and cook until slightly brown.
Pour in the wine, reduce and season with salt and pepper. Add in the prawns and heat for two minutes until cooked. In a separate pot cook your pasta in boiling water and once al dente, drain and add to the seafood mixture. Chop the parsley and add to the mix. Toss through and serve.
PEA, LEMON ZEST RISOTTO
(Serves 4)
450g peas shelled (fresh or frozen)
100g butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
800ml dry white wine
300g Arborio rice
1.5 litres warm chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt
black pepper
½ lemon zested
Sage leaves, picked from stalks
Olive oil
Walnuts to garnish
Mascarpone (optional)
Method:
Melting the butter in a large deep pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook until soft. Pour in the wine and heat for a couple of minutes.
When cooking off the rice it is best to do this slowly, so start by adding in all the rice but one ladle of the chicken stock at a time. Once the rice has soaked up the liquid add another ladle until all the stock is used.
Once the stock is absorbed, add the peas and warm through; this will only take a few minutes. Add the sage leaves or some leftover broccoli leaves chopped up.
Add in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour over a good glug of olive oil. It is always good to serve a risotto with a cheese garnish and for this recipe, you can add a dollop of mascarpone for extra taste and texture.
When serving, garnish with picked sage leaves and walnuts.
