Prawns with garlic and rose wine: Light but filling for summer eating

It’s difficult to keep finding viable eating options in this hot weather, isn’t it? And when someone’s had an upset stomach, and you need to find something suitable to tempt their tastebuds, it’s even harder! I had this problem last week, when Glenys was recovering from a tummy bug and wanted to eat something, but didn’t want anything too rich or spicy.

Frozen prawns were 30% off in Lidl, so I thought I’d see what I could come up with that might fit the bill. After a quick Google search, it seemed prawns in a white wine and garlic sauce would fit the bill, as there was no butter or cream in the sauce, and it wasn’t spicy. I didn’t have any white wine, so I used rose, and it turned out really well, with some of my own additions to make it more interesting.

We served the finished dish with pasta, but it would work just as well with rice or a jacket potato. It would also make a nice tapa with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Prawns with garlic and rose wine (Serves two as a main meal, 4 – 6 as tapas)

• 250g bag of frozen prawns (or use fresh if you prefer)
• 1 large clove of garlic, grated or finely chopped
• I celery stick, chopped
• A few cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered. I used yellow ones from a multi colour pack, but any cherry tomatoes will work
• 1 small green pepper or half a regular pepper, chopped
• Small glass of rose wine (white wine or cava would also work)
• Juice and zest of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce (optional, but gives extra bite to the sauce. Add some chopped fresh chilli for a spicier sauce)
• Salt, pepper and parsley to taste
• Olive oil or butter for frying (oil is healthier, and not so rich in the finished dish)

• Thaw prawns if using frozen, then blot out any moisture on kitchen paper.

• Heat olive oil or butter in a frying pan and add garlic, celery, peppers and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until everything has softened, then add wine, lemon zest and juice and seasonings.

• Bring to the boil, and cook for a few minutes until liquid thickens. For an even thicker sauce, mix a dessertspoon of cornflour with a little wine and stir into the mix.

• Lower heat, add prawns and simmer for just a couple of minutes to heat through. Taste to check seasoning, adjust if necessary then serve over pasta, rice or a jacket potato. I used fine chow mein noodles, as I didn’t really want bulky pasta with prawns.

The beauty of this simple dish is it’s quick and easy to prepare, yet it tastes like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen! It’s versatile too, as you can vary the additions. It would work well with chopped fine green beans, courgettes or sweetcorn, whatever is around. Experiment and let me know how it goes in the comments. Buen provecho!