Chilli Prawn Pasta with Sweetcorn Pangrattato
British corn comes into its own at the end of summer. I love seeing the ears of corn stacked up high in the market, like rays of golden light waiting to be peeled open. This recipe is a twist on chilli prawn pasta, using corn to make a crunchy pangrattato. The textural elements jump off the plate, and are a lovely balance of heat and sweetness.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 2 cobs of corn, kernels only
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1⁄3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon, zest only
- handful parsley, finely chopped
- handful dried spaghetti
- 2-3 tablespoons chilli oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 330g bottle Sicilian sweet cherry tomatoes (we used Seggiano’s Organic Sicilian Cherry Tomato Salsa)
- 1⁄4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 packet raw prawns
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the rapeseed oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Add the corn, chilli, panko breadcrumbs, and lemon zest. Season well and cook until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp and the corn is slightly charred (3-5 minutes). Stir through the parsley and transfer to a bowl.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, fill a large stock pot with water. Add a generous amount of sea salt and bring to the boil. Cook your pasta accordingly to packet instructions.
- Step 3 Heat the chilli oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Add the garlic and red onion and cook until translucent.
- Step 4 Add the Sicilian tomatoes, water and light brown sugar. Cook until the sauce becomes glossy (10-15 minutes).
- Step 5 Add the prawns to the pan and cook until completely pink (3 minutes).
- Step 6 Stir the cooked pasta through the sauce to warm. Divide between bowls, spoon over the pangrattato and serve immediately.
Corn is harvest feast staple – canned, tinned and frozen, it is easy to take for granted. But it would not exist, as we know it, without human intervention. It was developed over 9,000 years ago in Central America. Since that time, kernels of maize have spread around the world.
As you get stuck into a cob of corn at your harvest feast, take a moment to show gratitude to the biosphere that has nurtured your food. Be curious about your food choices, and pause to consider how foods we enjoy today have developed over time and their impact on the ecosystem.
