The flavours of Zakynthos are alive in this simple pasta dish with silken chard (seskoula), a little red pepper and plenty of garlic. A good amount of lemon zest keeps the dish light and fragrant, while a piquant crumble of the famous Zakynthian olive oil cheese ‘ladotiri’ (or you can substitute pecorino) ties everything together with a good splash of the pasta cooking water.
Prawns with seskoula
γαριδες με σέσκουλα
Ingredients
- small bunch of swiss chard sliced
- 1 red pepper finely diced
- 8 cloves of garlic sliced
- 1 tsp Sofia's chilli puree see mama's basics above
- 1 tsp Greek tomato paste (I use Kyknos brand)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- 400 g green prawns peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup crumbled ladotiri or grated pecorino cheese
- 1 fresh lemon zested
- Pasta of your choice
Instructions
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Rinse and drain the chard, slice and set aside.
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Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
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Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cooking for a few minutes until fragrant but not browned. Next, add the chard stems and red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, and then add the chard leaves a cook with a splash of water, the chilli puree and tomato pursee until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the prawns cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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Boil the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 espresso cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the reserved cooking water to the prawns. Add the lemon zest, and ladotiri. Toss together until nicely amalgamated and the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce. Season to taste and serve, with an extra sprinkle of lemon zest and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
