LINGUINE WITH LOBSTER & PROSCIUTTO

SERVES 4

I like to top this with toasted breadcrumbs for texture. It’s delicious served with a green salad, crusty bread and a good bottle of riesling. This dish sucks up the amazing sauce quickly, so be ready to serve it as soon as it comes together.

400 g (14 oz) good-quality dried linguine pasta

125 g (4½ oz) butter

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

250 g (9 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes

3 prosciutto slices, julienned

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cognac

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) thin (pouring) cream

400 g (14 oz) raw lobster meat, cut into 1 cm (½ inch) chunks

10 g (¼ oz/½ cup) flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the butter, garlic and chilli in a saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the garlic begins to turn golden brown, add the tomatoes, stirring with a wooden spoon, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and season with salt and pepper, then cook for a further 1 minute. Sprinkle in the cognac, then add the cream and lobster meat and cook for 1–2 minutes or until the lobster is just cooked.

Add the parsley, give a final stir and toss in the pasta. Mix well and divide among four bowls.

NOTE: You could also use firm white-fleshed fish, scallops, prawns or crab meat in place of the lobster.