Original pasta dish prepared with bought black pasta made with squid ink, prawns, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and parsley. 

White pasta may be used and other seafood such as scallops and squid rings.

  Ingredients: 6 to 8 servings

375 g. squid ink pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1½ kg prawns with skin and head

1 or 2 red hot chilies, seeds removed, sliced thinly

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 cup prawn stock from boiling head and peel

2½ cups halved cherry tomatoes or 3 big tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped

⅔ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For prawn stock

Shells and head of prawns

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small carrot, roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

3 cups cold water

For decoration

Chopped parsley

To prepare prawns

1. Remove black vein from one prawn but do not peel, cook in salted boiling water with few drops of white vinegar and set aside for decoration.

2. Remove head, peel, and remove black vein from the rest of the prawns, keep head and peel to prepare stock.

To prepare stock

1. Heat the oil over medium to high heat, add the shrimp shells and head, carrot, onion, and celery and fry till the shells are deep orange in color, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, and cold water to cover, simmer gently partly covered for about 20 minutes.

3. Place shells and stock in food processor and blend to cut shells roughly, remove and strain the stock and season with salt and black pepper (you should end up with 1 cup stock).

(Stock may be prepared 2 days ahead, keep refrigerated).

To prepare peeled prawns

Cut each prawn to 3 or 4 pieces and fry with crushed garlic in little olive oil.

To prepare pasta

1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dent, about 7 minutes, drain.

2. Heat oil and butter in a frying pan and sauté garlic until softened, raise heat, add chopped prawns and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add red chili, lemon rind, and stock and bring to the boil. (May be prepared to this stage few hours ahead, boil pasta just before serving).

4. Add pasta, tomatoes, chopped parsley and toss to mix.

5. Place on a plate and garnish with parsley leaves and prepared prawn for decoration and serve immediately.