prawn, fennel and feta tagliatelle

i recently saw an ottolenghi recipe for a prawn, feta and fennel dish and given it also featured oregano, my herbal nemesis at the moment, was instantly intrigued!

the original recipe really ramps up the fennel flavour with pernod and tarragon which i decided not to add, but i did like all the lemoniness that it had – zest, juice and sumac (a berry which is dried, powdered and has a lemon flavour). instead of serving this as a starter i did it over pasta, which means i can share it with theresa of the food hunter’s guide who is hosting this week’s presto pasta nights.

prawn, fennel and feta tagliatelle (serves 2)

300g raw shelled and deveined prawns

1 teaspoon picked thyme leaves

1 teaspoon picked oregano leaves, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

a pinch of dried chilli flakes

grated zest of 1 lemon

olive oil

tagliatelle for two

1 fennel bulb, sliced into 5mm pieces

10g butter

juice of ½ a lemon

100g feta, sprinkled with ¼ of a teaspoon of sumac and broken into 1½cm pieces

mix the prawns with the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, chilli flakes and a glug of olive oil. cover and marinate for two hours, or overnight.

when you are ready to eat, cook the pasta. heat a tablespoon of oil in large pan and add the fennel. cook over a high heat for one to two minutes, reduce the heat and continue cooking until it is soft. add the prawns and marinade and stir fry until the prawns turn pink. add the butter and lemon juice, serve the prawns with the pasta and top with the feta and a final sprinkle of sumac.

Comments

[bellini]

Love all of the twists and turns in tis recipe Abby!

[abby]

thanks val!