Linguine with Prawns from chef Emmanuele Lugas of vacanza waverely
Because there are times when we can’t be bothered cooking, especially at busy times of the year, like the holiday season. Nothing better than just ordering in and simply adding wine to the glass. We love Vacanza in Waverley for their delish "Sorrento" Gamberi pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, Italian fior di latte, marinated tiger prawns, cherry tomatoes & fresh chilli.
Vacanza, meaning ‘holiday’ in Italian, is the brain-child of owner Nick Gilbert, a self-confessed pizza fanatic whose passion led him to Southern Italy, where he spent his time learning the art of traditional pizza-making before returning to Sydney to open Vacanza Pizzeria. Since then, it's been the go-to for the lovely locals in the Sydney’s Eastern Beaches. With BYO wine at only $12 corkage, why not stop in at our new bottle shop, and then go and enjoy a cooking-free night at this institution since 2010 that inspired the Surry Hills venue opening two years afterward.
Naturally, we couldn’t give you their secret recipe for the Sorrento pizza, but Head Pizza Chef, Emmanuele Lugas has given us a delicious prawn linguine to make at home. Pairing comes from Leire who has recently returned from a few months in Europe. Very happy to have her smiling face back at Bayswater Fine Wines!
Prawn Linguine by chef Emmanuele Lugas from Vacanza Waverley
The secret to a great prawn pasta dish is the stock! It’s so easy to make it yourself at home. Preparation tip: Make sure you have all your ingredients on the bench, chopped and ready before you start cooking.
Serves 2
You will need:
200 grams of linguine pasta
Half pot of water with 1 full spoon of fine sea salt
6 king prawns medium size
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
Chopped basil 8-10 leaves
White wine- 1/4 of glass
1 head of garlic
Red long chilli (optional)
For the bisque/stock:
A small pot with a bit of water, 1/4 onion, a few springs of parsley, rosemary, 3 prawn heads
Make the stock:
Use the prawn heads to make a nice stock. Boil with water, herbs like parsley and rosemary, a bit of onion and a touch of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), let it boil for 20/25 minutes with low flame. When it’s ready strain in a colander or sieve.
Make the sauce:
Take a pan and add a bit of EVOO with 1 head of garlic, a bit of black pepper, a bit of chilli (depends if you like it spicy), let them go until the garlic gets gold and releases the flavours in the oil, at this point remove it and add a touch of white wine, let it evaporate, after this add the cherry tomatoes you prepared previously and let it go for a few minutes. You don’t want the tomatoes to be cooked through - they should taste fresh.
Cook the pasta:
Ideally cook the pasta al dente. Boil the water and add pinch of salt.
A good tip is: As soon as it’s boiling add the pasta and follow the instructions, for example if the packet says 10 minutes, take the pasta out 2 minutes before.
When cooked al dente, add to the pan with the sauce, add the prawns and add the stock gently using a spoon. Like the method you use for risotto. Slowly.
Add chopped basil on top for serving, along with lemon zest, or bottarga – which is also a great touch.
Make it stand out
Seafood pastas are a classic summer dish which is enjoyable for everyone, and the wine will perfectly sublimate it. It possesses a mild and fresh flavour and the saltiness coming through evens out the acidity of a light-bodied white wine.
A pinot Grigio is an extremely food-friendly style which make the shrimps the finest pairing partners. Pinot Grigio wines are refreshing, dry, crisp, and they will not overpower the freshness and flavour of the seafood, so we will pair it with a light to medium-bodied white wine. The king prawns will be enhanced by the high acidity and fruitiness of the wine. Pinot Grigio characteristics are mainly primary fruit flavours of lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine, and apple.
Pinot Grigio ranges between faint honeyed notes, floral aromas like honeysuckle, and a saline-like minerality which will be delightful for the garlic prawn pasta with a hint of fresh chili.
I chose ‘Pigio’, an organic unoaked pinot Grigio from the Veneto region in Italy.
The excellent balance between acidity and body makes this wine refreshing and the finish is pleasantly fruity.
As our recipe contains cherry tomatoes, we can also pair it with a light rose from Provence like Whispering Angel, a medium-bodied and fruity refreshing wine with a crisp acidity.
Vacanza
261 Bronte Road, Waverley NSW 2024
9090 2089 or 0432 055 987
info@vacanza.com.au
WED - SUNDAY EVENINGS FROM 5PM
* Functions outside these hours by request
