Maccheroncini with prawns and courgettes

I cut the courgettes into julienne strips or batons. I always remove the central part because it is watery and has little flavour; you can save it for vegetable stock.

I clean the prawn tails, removing the shells and using a cocktail stick to remove the intestinal vein along the back.
I often use frozen prawns, which I always keep in the freezer for convenience.
I cut 20 prawns into pieces and leave 4 whole for the garnish.


I put very little oil in a non-stick pan and quickly sauté the courgettes. I add chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper. Keep the courgettes crisp rather than soft and mushy. If liked, add a whole garlic clove and remove it at the end of cooking.
In another pan, I heat a little oil and sauté the prawns for 3 minutes, adding salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, I bring salted water to the boil.
I am rather precise: for every 100 g pasta, I use 1 litre water and 10 g coarse salt.
Everything is ready.

I add the prawn tails to the courgettes, keeping the 4 whole ones aside.

I drain the pasta al dente, leaving it a little wet, then toss it in the pan with a drizzle of oil.

I divide between plates, place a whole prawn on each and decorate with a few parsley leaves.