Farfalle Pasta with Prawns and Orange

Method9 steps · about 1 hr 15 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Thaw frozen raw prawns (12 large) if necessary. Peel and devein them, leaving the tails on; keep one whole prawn for decoration and clean it as needed. Wash the parsley (1 bunch), finely chop it and keep it aside for steps 4 and 8. Zest the marinade orange (1) without the white pith, then juice it. Keep half the zest aside for serving. Combine all the prawns with the orange juice, the other half of the zest, the 2 tablespoons of marinade olive oil and the pinch of fennel greens or dill. Cover and marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

   Marinate prawns · 30 minUses 12 large raw prawns · 2 tablespoons marinade olive oil · 1 unwaxed orange, zested and juiced · 1 pinch fennel greens or fresh dill · 1 bunch fresh parsley, wash and chop now for later steps

   
2. 2

   Step 2: If using almonds, toast them in a dry sauté pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until lightly browned. Transfer to a food processor, pulse until finely minced and keep aside for step 8. Skip this step if omitting the optional almonds.

   Uses 1 handful almonds, optional

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Peel the garlic (2). Remove the fennel bulb (1)’s tough outer layer and finely chop the bulb. Heat the separate 3–4 tablespoons of sauce olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly coloured, then add the chopped fennel and cook until softened.

   Uses 3–4 tablespoons sauce olive oil · 2 garlic cloves, peeled · 1 fennel bulb, outer layer removed and finely chopped

4. 4

   Step 4: Lift the prawns from the marinade, keeping all the liquid marinade aside. Add the prawns to the softened fennel and cook each side for a few minutes until coloured. Add the half-glass of white wine and half the chopped parsley. Increase the heat and let the wine reduce until its sharp aroma subsides; the source does not give an exact duration for this stage.

   Uses The softened fennel and garlic in sauce oil · All the marinated prawns; keep the liquid marinade for step 5 · ½ glass white wine; volume unspecified · Half the chopped parsley

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Add all the reserved raw-prawn-contact marinade to the prawn pan and bring the sauce to a full boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to reduce the sauce, until every prawn is opaque and cooked through, including the whole decoration prawn. Taste and add sauce salt if needed.

   Uses The prawns and fennel after the wine reduction · All the liquid marinade actually held aside when the prawns were lifted in step 4 · Salt for the prawn sauce, to taste

   
6. 6

   Step 6: While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it, return it to the boil and add all 400 g farfalle. Cook according to the packet until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

   Uses Water for cooking the farfalle, as needed; reserve 1 cup before draining · Salt for pasta cooking water, as needed · 400 g dried farfalle

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the drained pasta to the fully cooked prawn sauce and mix gently over low heat. If the mixture is dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen it; the reserved cup is a supply, not a requirement to add the whole cup.

   Uses All the drained farfalle · The fully cooked prawns and orange-fennel sauce · Some of the 1 cup reserved cooking water, only if the pasta is dry

8. 8

   Step 8: Wash and slice the separate serving orange. Turn off the heat. Stir in the toasted minced almonds if using them, the orange slices and the remaining half of the chopped parsley. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

   Uses The pasta already mixed with the prawn sauce · The toasted minced almonds, only if used · The separate 1 orange, sliced · The remaining half of the chopped parsley · Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Serve the finished pasta, placing the whole cooked prawn decoratively on a plate if desired. Sprinkle with a pinch of the orange zest reserved from the marinade orange; this is the remaining zest, not another orange.

   Uses The finished pasta with prawns, orange slices and herbs · A pinch from the remaining orange zest kept aside in step 1