A delicious and easy-to-make prawn tagliatelle with roasted asparagus and a rich tomato sauce.
Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Trim the bottom 2cm from the asparagus and discard. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve the bell pepper and discard the core and seeds. Slice into thin strips. Pop the asparagus onto a baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer. When the oven is hot, roast on the middle shelf until tender, 10-12 mins.
Meanwhile, boil a full kettle. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat (no oil). Once hot, add the chorizo and stir-fry until it starts to brown, 2-3 mins. Once the chorizo has started to brown, add the sliced bell pepper and fry until just soft, 3-4 mins (add a little oil if needed). Continue to stir while it cooks. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomato paste, then stir-fry until fragrant, 30 secs.
Stir the passata, sugar and water for the sauce (see pantry for both amounts) and chicken stock paste into the pan. Bring the sauce to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until thickened, 4-5 mins.
Meanwhile, pour the boiled water into a large saucepan with ½ tsp salt. Add the tagliatelle and bring back to the boil. Cook until tender, 3-4 mins. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil for the dressing (see pantry for amount), cider vinegar and a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar. Set the dressing aside for now. Once the tagliatelle is cooked, drain in a colander and pop back in the pan. Drizzle with oil and stir through to stop it sticking together.
Once the sauce has thickened, drain the prawns. Bring the sauce to the boil, then stir in the prawns and cook for another 5-6 mins. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw prawns. They're cooked when pink on the outside and opaque in the middle. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red chilli (see ingredients for amount). Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Add the cooked tagliatelle to the sauce and toss to coat.
Divide the prawn tagliatelle between your bowls and share the prawn tagliatelle between your bowls and spoon over any remaining sauce. Top with the roasted asparagus and scatter over the chilli slices (add less if you'd prefer things milder!). Sprinkle over the hard Italian style cheese, then serve with the rocket salad alongside. Enjoy!