Quick. Easy. Impressive. Delicious.
This is another easy mid week meal that can be made with bits and bobs from the store cupboard and the freezer. I have been too lazy to go food shopping this week so this was ideal! This recipe will make two generous portions but if you are watching the calories you may want to halve the amount on your plate and serve it with a big side salad. Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients 3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Clove of Garlic, minced 1 tbsp Tomato Puree 1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes 5 Large Fresh Basil Leaves ( I have a plant in my kitchen window!) 400g Frozen Mixed Seafood (prawns, mussels, squid) Small Pinch of Chilli Flakes 300g Spaghetti 1/2 a Slice of Bread, blitzed into bread crumbs. I use a Kenwood Mini Food Chopper 300Watt – CH180A for this. 1 tsp Dried Mixed Herbs (the Italian Blends work well) Salt Method Bring a large pan of water to the boil and season generously with salt. Cook the spaghetti for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions so that it is al dente (or in human terms; a little bit hard in the middle) Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan ( I like to use a wok for things like this, unconventional, I know but it works) and add the garlic and tomato puree. Allow to sizzle for a few moments before adding the tin of tomatoes and the torn up basil leaves. Leave the sauce to simmer away and thicken whilst the pasta is cooking. As soon as you drain your pasta add the frozen seafood to the tomato sauce followed by the pasta. Stir the pasta and seafood into the sauce and allow to cook for a couple of minutes Mix the bread crumbs, herbs, a pinch of salt and remaining olive oil together and tip into a non stick frying pan. Spread the breadcrumbs out to make a single layer and toast them over a high heat until golden. Plate up the seafood pasta and top with the crunchy golden breadcrumbs before serving. Nad’s Top Tips Be careful when adding garlic to oil. Make sure that your oil is just warm and not hot as you will burn your garlic and make everything taste a bit bitter If you want this dish to be a bit more luxurious, treat yourself to some snazzy tinned tomatoes over the cheap ones. My favourite are San Marzano tomatoes; a little bit more expensive but full of flavour. Use up your stale bread when making your bread crumbs. It’s ideal for using up the left overs and will keep in a jar for a couple of weeks. Sprinkle them on all sorts to add a bit of texture – salads, fish, chicken, risottos… If you are missing any bits of the seafood medley feel free to replace them with other bits of fish/seafood – whatever suits your taste. If you are using raw, frozen fish/seafood you will need to cook this for a little longer in the sauce before adding the pasta.
I would love to know if you have given this recipe a go and what you thought of it. Pictures and comments always welcome.
