Grilled prawns with chickpeas and asparagus
“Here's a summer dinner menu that can be prepared well ahead of time - mostly.”
- 18 large green prawns
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-sized red onion
- 3 cloves of roughly chopped garlic
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 2 roughly chopped ripe tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas
- 400g of asparagus spears
- 1/2 cup rough chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup rough chopped coriander
- salt and pepper
The chickpeas and asparagus in the next dish can be made a day or so ahead. They can be heated just before grilling or pan-frying the prawns, or can be brought to room temperature simply by taking out of the fridge an hour before serving.
Method
Heat 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and lightly fry a finely minced, medium-sized red onion, 3 cloves of roughly chopped garlic with a teaspoon of ground cumin, half a teaspoon of paprika and a teaspoon of minced fresh ginger until transparent. Add 2 roughly chopped ripe tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas. Simmer until the tomatoes have dissolved into liquid. Add 400g of asparagus spears cut into bite-sized pieces and half a cup each of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley and coriander. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes until the asparagus is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Peel and remove the veins from 18 large green prawns and pan-fry or grill them.
To serve
Serve on the chickpeas and asparagus.
Makes enough for six as a first course.
