Spaghettini, prawns, charred corn, green chilli, black garlic

By: Philippa Sibley
From: New Classics
Serves: 4-6
Photographer: Mark Roper

Certain combinations just make sense. Garlic, chilli, prawns and basil – and of course great olive oil and well-cooked pasta. My love for the Italian classic ‘aglio e olio’ was the initial inspiration, then I tried a quesadilla with black garlic, toasty charred corn and prawns. Sweet, spicy, herbaceous and luxurious. This is the most popular pasta dish on the menu at the restaurant.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
	salt and pepper
3	corn cobs, husks removed
	black garlic
	garlic
3	small hot green chillies, such as bird’s eye or scud
300ml	extra-virgin olive oil
500g	spaghettini
500g	raw, peeled prawns, deveined and chopped into small pieces
	fresh basil
2-3	lemon, juiced
	small basil leaves, for garnish

Method

Put a large saucepan of water on to boil for the pasta, and add a tablespoon of salt.
Meanwhile heat up a griddle pan or chargrill pan and grill the corn until charred on all sides, about 12 minutes. Slice the corn kernels off the cob with a very sharp knife.
Slice both garlics and the chillies very thinly and put them in another large saucepan with the extra-virgin olive oil, but don’t heat it yet.
When the first pan of water is boiling, drop in the spaghettini and cook until al dente, about 4–5 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the second pan over medium heat and, when the garlic starts to bubble, add the prawn meat and stir with a wooden spoon until it is opaque.
Strain the cooked pasta and add to the other pan, along with a little of the cooking water. Add the basil and corn and toss together well. Add a little more water if the pasta is too dry. Season well with salt and pepper and plenty of lemon juice. Serve on a large platter and garnish with the small basil leaves.