Honey Prawn Bruschetta and Bloody Mary Crab Pasta

Entree: Roasted Pumpkin and Honey Prawn Bruschetta
Delicious Daily, Page 192

Main: Bloody Mary Crab Pasta
Delicious Love to Cook, Page 148

Hi there everyone,

Tonight I felt we needed a break from chicken or meat (much to the dismay of MAV whom I told to just suck it up buttercup) so I went all seafood. I wanted to try this little bruschetta number too – soooo.

Roasted Pumpkin and Honey Prawn Bruschetta.

I did this with avocado instead of pumpkin. Seasoned the mashed avo with a little salt and pepper and lime juice.

OMG it was sensational!! This is definitely a goer. Mostly 7s and 8s out of 10

It is great finger food too because you can serve one or two prawns on a sliced and toasted French stick. Easy to manage and very informal. After marinating the prawns, I just threw them on the BBQ for a few minutes, topped the bread with avocado and a little sour cream, then the prawns and drizzled the juices over. Scrumptilious! Perhaps we should just have a whole meal of these little beauties.

Bloody Mary Crab Pasta.

Naaah! Not so great. Bland and just didn’t have a kick to it. I gave it a 3. Everyone else said around 6 but seriously I didn’t even finish it. It looked great and the combination of ingredients screamed YUM so you can imagine how disappointed I was. I kept thinking what I could have done to juju it up a bit. Maybe next time a dash of Tabasco and sour cream or crème fraiche would work. I will let you know if I try it again. Not to worry, after all this is the whole point of my blog – the good, the bad and the tasteless!

Now as for dessert – well I gave in to a busy day and bought Wicked Sisters Crème Caramel. They were on special at Woolies. My god, these are hard to beat and even harder to make them any better myself. You know what, I have been using these on and off for some time and the MAV has always believed me when I said I made them. Who am I to disagree with him??????? I left them in plain sight in the fridge, go figure.

It’s all fun, so until next week …….

From my table to yours with love.

Roasted pumpkin & honey prawn bruschetta

NOTE: In my recipe I used mashed avocado instead of the pumpkin, seasoning it with lime juice and S & P

1 kg Jap pumpkin (Seed removed and cut into wedges)
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Dried chilli flakes
21/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/3 cup Runny honey
1 Garlic clove (Crushed)
2 tbs Olive oil
16 Large green prawns (Peeled, deveined (leave tails on if you want))
8 slicdes Sourdough (Toasted)
1/2 cup Sour cream

Salsa Verde

1 bunch Mint (Leaves picked)
1/4 bunch basil (Leaves picked)
1 Clove Garlic (Crushed)
1/4 Cup Capers (Drained)
1 Lemon (Juiced)
1/3 Cup Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pumpkin in a single layer on prepared tray. Drizzle with oil and scatter with chilli and 1/2 tsp paprika. Roast for 1 hour or until tender and caramelised. Cool.

Combine honey, garlic, oil and remaining 2 tsp paprika in a bowl. Add the prawns and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate. When ready to serve, arrange sourdough on a serving platter. Scoop pumpkin flesh from skin and spread over sourdough, then dollop with sour cream. heat a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Season prawns and add to pan. Cook until caramelised. Top bruschetta with prawns, drizzle with salsa verde.

SALSA VERDE (makes 1 cup)

Place all ingredients in a food processor, season and whiz until smooth. Transfer to a jar and chill for up to 2 days.

Bloody Mary Crab Pasta

I would add Tabasco and sour cream or crème fraiche.

2 tbs Olive oil
1 Onion, brown (finely chopped)
1 Celery stalk (finely chopped plus extra stalks to serve)
2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
2 400g Cans chopped tomotoes
100 g Unsalted butter (Chopped)
1 cup Sourdough breadcrumbs
1 tbs Flat-leaf parsley leaves (finely chopped)
2 tsp Grated lemon zest
500 g Spaghetti or other dried long pasta
1/2 cup Vodka
400 g Cooked crabmeat
2 tbs Thickened cream

For the Sauce

Heat 1 tbs oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery and a good pinch of sea salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, tomato and 1/2 cup (125ml) water, increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes until slightly thickened and reduced. Add crabmeat and cream to tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute or until warmed through. Add to pasta and toss to combine. Divide pasta among bowls and top with parsley crumbs, and serve with an extra celery stalk.

Pasta

Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain, then return pasta to the pan. Add vodka and remaining 80g butter, then stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat.

Parsley Crumbs

Melt 20g butter and remaining 1tbs oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook, tossing occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from heat and stir through parsley and lemon zest.

Honey Prawn Bruschetta and Bloody Mary Crab Pasta