Smoky prawn, bacon and paprika rigatoni

For maximum flavour in a fraction of the time, try some crispy speck lardons in your next pasta sauce to add a smoky, sweet and rich flavour.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g rigatoni
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 100 g speck, cut into thick lardons
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra to serve
• 150 ml passata
• 200 g raw prawn meat, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp finely shredded flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Once the water is simmering, add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than instructed on the packet (the pasta will continue cooking in the sauce later). Before draining, reserve ½ cup pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Fry the speck until crisp, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a small bowl. Add the garlic to the oil and fry until lightly browned. Add the paprika and the passata, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for 1 minute, then add the drained pasta and a little of the pasta water.
3. Toss to form a sauce, then stir through the speck and vinegar. Scatter with parsley and dust with a little extra smoked paprika, then serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.