This recipe is based on a Jamie Oliver classic that I first read about in the ABC’s DELICIOUS magazine in 2010.

That wonderful magazine has fuelled my appetite for recipes, food trends and all things to do with the culinary world for about 13 years now and I continue to go back to old issues of the magazine (yes, I still have them all!) and still find things I remember cooking years ago or find new inspiration that I might have missed the first time I read it.

I recently made this for the family for a lazy Sunday lunch after church. I did declare as I served it “eat up, as I am not making dinner as well today!”

A dish featuring prawns, wine and chorizo would not normally be on our mid week menu. This is more like a special occasion meal for a weekend or for sharing with friends.

Serves a family of 5

Ingredients

400gm spaghetti

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 chorizo, sliced into thin rounds

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 bunch of basil, stalks chopped and leaves reserved

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes, or 1/2 a fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 cup (250ml) white wine (use chicken stock if you don’t want to use wine)

300gm green prawns, peeled and deveined (I used frozen prawns that were defrosted)

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Fresh parsley or basil leaves to garnish

Method

Cook spaghetti till al dente and set aside, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan and cook chorizo till brown and crispy.

Add the garlic, basil stalks, tomatoes and chilli to the frying pan.

Pour in the wine and lemon juice and simmer away until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the prawns and cook for a few minutes until they are pink.

Season with salt and pepper and add cooked spaghetti (and a little reserved pasta cooking water) into the frying pan.

Give everything a big toss and serve in bowls, garnished with fresh herbs.