Courgette and prawn pasta with turmeric

A creamy pasta without cream, built on courgettes treated properly. You get texture from the cubes, silkiness from the peel and potato purée, and a gentle heat from chilli if you feel like it.

40′ or less from start to finish.

Ingredients (for 2)

• 2 medium courgettes
• 2 small potatoes or 1 large one
• Pasta for 2 (short pasta works well, but spaghetti is fine too)
• Raw or cooked prawns, peeled and deveined (be generous)
• 2 shallots
• 1–2 cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Turmeric, generous
• Dried chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• Vegetable stock, about 1/2 cup (1/2 cube)
• Salt and black pepper

Prep

1. Peel the courgettes.
2. From each courgette, extract the central core (a clean rectangular/parallelepiped section).
3. Cut this core into roughly 15 mm cubes.
4. Put the courgette peel into a pan with the potatoes. Cover with water, add salt, and boil until the potatoes are fully soft.

Sauce base

5. Finely chop the shallots and garlic.
6. Heat a generous glug of EVO oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
7. Add shallots and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, not coloured.
8. Add chilli if using.
9. Add the courgette cubes.
10. Season with salt and pepper, then add plenty of turmeric.
11. Pour in the vegetable stock.
12. Lower the heat to low–medium and let it gently cook, stirring occasionally.

Pasta and purée

13. Start cooking the pasta in well-salted water (10 g/l).
14. Set a timer for al dente minus one minute.
15. When the potatoes are soft, drain the peel and potatoes.
16. Blend them in a Nutribullet (or similar) until smooth, adding a little water if needed. Here you could also add a bit of mustard or sriracha.
17. Season the purée to taste.

Finish

18. Add the prawns to the pan with the courgettes and let them start cooking.
19. Add the courgette–potato purée to the sauce and stir through.
20. Reserve a couple of cups of pasta cooking water.
21. Drain the pasta and add it straight to the pan over medium-high heat.
22. Add about one cup of pasta water and stir continuously.
23. Taste. If the pasta needs more time or the sauce tightens, add more cooking water and keep stirring until glossy and properly al dente.

Serve immediately. No cheese needed.