This is my all time favorite kind of food- messy, warm, nourishing and full of flavor. It is going to be bleak and rainy for the next few days so I wanted some healthy but hearty comfort food to pack for my lunches. Something like this can sit well in the refrigerator for a few days, with portions being reheated as needed and the flavors simply meld together better and better as the days go by. I have found that the most efficient way to produce good tomato sauce is just to add to one that has already been put together. I like to make a mirepoix (a celery, carrot and onion combination and a secret weapon for creating depth of flavor) first then add in extra fresh vegetables, all of which add to the final taste and texture and add in a wider range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For the chorizo you can use one that is already cured and skip the initial oven time, I have just been preferring raw ones lately because I find that they have a fresher, lighter flavor and they usually have much less preservatives and additives, but they are a bit more work to prepare. This pasta takes a few different pots for everything to be cooked properly, but it is worth the dishes :).
- 1 12 oz (340 g) bag of whole grain pasta (or almond flour based for paleo)
- 14-16 raw prawns (1 454 g bag), peeled and deveined
- 4 raw chorizo sausages (around 120 g each)
- Sauce
- 6 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced (around 6 mini portobellos or 3 large ones, button mushrooms can be substituted)
- 3 cups tomato sauce (1 739 ml glass jar- there are some good organic options for around $3)
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 celery stalk, diced finely
- 1 carrot, diced finely
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Optional toppings: fresh basil leaves, freshly grated parmesan and/or freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 350° and once temperature is reached bake the chorizo on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes. Next, to prepare the sauce heat up the olive oil in a large wok over medium high heat and then sautée the celery, carrot, shallot and garlic for around 4 minutes, until they are softened, fragrant and slightly browned. Next add in the mushrooms, red pepper and tomato and leave to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add in the tomato sauce and sun dried tomatoes and leave the sauce to simmer away, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn't burn. It should still be fairly liquid at this point but it will thicken up nicely as everything else cooks. Set up a large pot with water and bring to a boil for the pasta. By now the chorizo should be done so bring it out of the oven and slice it up. Add in the pasta and cook for the amount of time specified on the package (anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes). When there is around 10 minutes left set up another large frying pan on the stove over medium high heat. Once it is warmed up add in the chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until it browns nicely. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and add the chorizo to it, leaving some of the grease in the pan used for the chorizo and return it to the stove to cook the prawns for around 2 minutes per side then add them to the tomato sauce as well. By now the pasta should be done, drain it and add it to everything else and fold gently until it combines evenly.