This spicy stew from Rustica is deliciously warming and comforting. Seasoned with Spanish sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce), the rich tomato sauce envelopes the juicy seafood and chickpeas in flavour. In Spain during winter store-cupboard staples like pulses are used alongside fresh seafood and this surf ‘n’ turf dish would be typical of dishes cooked on the southern coast. Just serve with chunks of good crusty bread for dunking.
Ingredients
olive oil, for frying
½ large white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
a pinch of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Spanish sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)
1 tablespoon tomato purée
¼ teaspoon demerara sugar
400 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
350 ml passata
12 raw large king prawns, shelled with heads on
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
To serve
60 ml Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley sprigs
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
crusty bread (optional)
Serves 2
Add a splash of olive oil to a large, deep frying pan and set over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, fresh chilli and chilli flakes and cook for 1 further minute.
Stir in the cumin, paprika, tomato purée, and sugar, quickly followed by the chickpeas. Pour in the passata along with a splash of cold water and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, over a low heat for 15 minutes.
Put the prawns into the pan, pushing them down slightly into the liquid. Cook for about 4 minutes before turning them over to continue cooking for another 2 minutes or so, until pink and cooked through. Spoon the stew into dishes.
Whisk together the yogurt and lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of cold water and swirl a little of it over each serving of the stew. Add a sprig of flat-leaf parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve with good crusty bread, if you like.
This recipe is from Rustica by Theo Michaels. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.