(Italian pasta with king prawns and boiled ham - Our recipe)

Time: preparation: 30 minutes ........ cooking: 20 minutes 300 g (10 1/2 oz) precooked king prawns 150 g (5 1/2 oz) cubed boiled ham 3 big, ripe but firm tomatoes 1 medium size fresh young onion, finely chopped A bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped A bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried bay leaves 2 tablespoons tomato paste 150 ml (5 fl oz - 3/4 C) dry white wine 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 250 g (8 1/2 oz) fresh short pasta Salt easy recipe

  Spoon measures are American spoons, that is standard cook's measuring spoons used in USA.
  The best plan is to regard 2 American teaspoons or tablespoons as 1 English teaspoon or tablespoon (eating spoons)

Prepare the king prawns. Remove the head and shell from everyone.
Boil the tomatoes for 1 minute; then peel them, remove their seeds and grate the flesh.
Put the tomatoes, onion, bay leaves, tomato paste, wine and half the chopped chives and parsley in a non-stick frying pan; season to taste with salt and cook, half-covered over a medium heat, stirring now and then. When the cooking juice is almost retired, add the king prawns and ham and stir very well. If you like a longer cooking, you have to add some water at the beginning.
Meanwhile cook the short pasta you've chosen in a plenty of salt water until “al dente” stage. Drain it very well and pour into the pan together with the chives and parsley left. Stir very well and cook over a fierce heat for some moments in order to amalgamate all the flavours, stirring now and then. Switch off the flame, pour in the olive oil, stir and serve at once.

Note
- It's a tasty single-course meal; you can complete with fresh seasonal fruit.
- If you want to prepare it for a special occasion, you have not to remove the tail from the
  king prawns. We suggest not to peel some of them too! Look at the photo for more details.
- If you don't find fresh chives, you can use dried one (4-6 tablespoons according to
  your taste).
- If you don't find fresh, ripe tomatoes, you can substitute them with canned peeled
  tomatoes (6-7).
- You can also realize this recipe with a different shape of short pasta.
- This is an healthy recipe: its low fat, the olive oil is added at the end of the cooking
  and all the ingredients are not fried. You can also make it without salt: it's tasty!

What's the right wine?
Our suggestion is: Riviera del Garda Bresciano Chiaretto (rosé wine from Lombardy - Italy).

If you want to combine this dish with other ones for a complete menu,
consult our "Members-only Area".