Bacon, prawn and tomato pasta bake

The combination of unlikely ingredients can be somewhat of a surprise. Would you consider putting prawns and bacon together? It works well, as this food cart's taco demonstrates. The salty, sweet bacon enhances the prawns in the same way that a few drops of soy sauce does. (I learnt this from a book called 'Taste' by Cybil Kapoor - dedicated to how all the food tastes work together and how we can lessen or enhance them - very interesting and instructive). This is a pasta bake of rich sauce, bursting with the flavours of heirloom tomatoes and bell peppers studded with pieces of meaty, salty back bacon and large sweet prawns.

Whenever I am short of time or low on inspiration, I make a pasta dish. If I feel I have a little more time or an inclination to do something a little fancier, I make a pasta bake. There's something really satisfying about pasta that has toasted or even, dare I say, dried out a little bit. I like the chewy edges, especially if they are covered in chewy cheese. (You know those end pieces of cheese that have almost turned hard, where the taste has intensified so much it's like eating concentrated cheese with a caramel, toasty taste, or the almost burnt bits you can pick off the bottom of the tray)? For me, this is the prize of pasta bakes. I've never really been a fan of fresh pasta, I don't like slimy. I prefer my pasta even less cooked than al dente, so that it still has a meatiness and bite that I can get my teeth around.

Recipe : Pasta bake with prawns, bacon and tomatoes

1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp of butter

1/2 an onion, peeled and chopped

4 slices of back bacon (no fat), cut into chunks

1 rib of celery, sliced finely

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into chunks

6 medium sized tomatoes, quartered or 1 tin of plum tomatoes

1/2 cup of raw peeled prawns

a handful of shredded greens such as kale, chard or spinach

salt and pepper

2 tbsp fresh basil, torn

pasta for 2 (I used penne)

1/2 cup grated cheese

paprika

Preheat the oven to 375oF.

Cook the pasta as per instructions in a large pan of boiling salty water until just cooked. Drain and place in a baking dish. Set aside while you make the sauce.

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, celery, bacon and bell pepper. Saute together, stirring frequently until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, (cautiously as the bacon may be quite salty) and cover. Reduce heat to low - medium and let the mixture cook until the tomatoes have collapsed and become sauce like. Add the greens and let cook for a few minutes more to wilt them slightly. Add the prawns and basil, cook, stirring until the prawns have cooked by turning pink and opaque, (no longer as they will cook for a little extra in the oven) and pour the sauce over the prepared pasta. Mix everything together well, add another tsp of butter if you wish, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle the cheese all over the pasta and sauce and dust with a little paprika.

Bake in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes until piping hot through and golden brown on top. I like to grill (broil) the bake for the final 5 minutes to get the top really crispy and caramelize that cheese.