Supermarkets and Red Onion

My ultimate favorite place to be after my kitchen is the supermarket. As a matter of fact I have visited three different supermarkets in different days this week! I love to be somewhere filled with variations of fresh, aromatic and colorful vegetables and fruits, somehow refreshes my mind after a dull day. My mother luckily loves to accompany me to shop for organic ingredients, and therefore I do not need to spend even a cent for my groceries.

After my gazillionth time visiting supermarkets, this week happened to be my first time buying red onions. I always got fascinated by the vibrant red-purpley colour of the onion and was always curious about the taste. The only onion I ever used for cooking was the yellow onion, and I've always wondered if both of the onions have similar flavors. I bought three enormous red onions which cost quite a lot, (but it does not really matter as it was my mom who paid :P) and thought of making a simple dish with the red onion as the base.

And so one afternoon I got really hungry and craved for pasta. I decided to make linguini with tomato sauce and prawns.

Linguini with prawns, tomato sauce and basil

Ingredients

Dried linguini

3 tsp olive oil

for the sauce:

½ red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, quartered

1 tbsp pasta sauce

150ml chicken stock

1 tsp dried oregano

a small handful of fresh basil, chopped

for the prawns:

2 tbsp olive oil

½ red onion, finely chopped

7 - 8 prawns of your choice (you can always remove the head/shell if you want to)

2 tbsp butter

salt and white pepper

a small handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and sauté the red onion and garlic until translucent (in low heat). Don't brown them. Increase the heat and put in the pasta sauce, tomatoes and oregano. Stir well. Add the chicken stock. Crush the tomatoes until the juices come out and combine with the stock mixture. Put the lid on and let the mixture reduce for about 17 minutes. After the mixture has been reduced, add the fresh basil. Turn the heat off. The sauce is ready.

2. In another pan heat the oil and fry the onion until caramelized for about 5 minutes in low heat. Add in the prawns and toss the prawns so that the oil and onion is distributed evenly. Season with salt and white pepper. Let the prawns fry for about 3 minutes. Add the butter to give creaminess. At the end of the cooking time, stir in the chopped basil. 

3. In a saucepan pour in water and let it boil. Season the water with salt. Pour in the dried linguini. Boil the pasta for about 9 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and add olive oil to the pasta so that the pasta do not stick. 

4. Serve the pasta with the sauce and prawns. Scatter around fresh basil for garnish.