CASHEW BUTTER PASTA WITH GARLIC SHRIMP AND GREENS

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Pasta cooked in this way makes a delicious supper when you don’t have much time to cook. Most of the ingredients come from the store cupboard or freezer so there’s not much shopping. If you don’t have cashew butter and cashews, substitute peanuts instead.

SERVES 4

PREP 5 MINUTES

COOK 8–10 MINUTES

500g (1lb 2oz) spaghetti or linguine (dried weight)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch spring onions (scallions), chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

675g (1lb 8oz) raw peeled large prawns (jumbo shrimp), fresh or frozen and thawed

200g (7oz) baby leaf spinach

a handful of flat-leaf parsley or chives, chopped

4 tbsp chopped roasted cashews

freshly ground black pepper

CASHEW BUTTER SAUCE

75g (3oz/generous ¼ cup) cashew butter

90ml (3fl oz/⅓ cup) boiling water

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1–2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Make the cashew butter sauce: mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well blended and smooth.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the prawns and cook, turning them over occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until pink all over. Add the spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes until it wilts and turns bright green. Take the pan off the heat.

Add the cooked pasta and the cashew butter sauce to the pan and toss everything together gently. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley or chives and some black pepper.

Divide among four shallow serving bowls and serve immediately, sprinkled with cashews.