Prawn & Tomato Orzo

Ingredients

• 400 g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 300 g orzo pasta
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 400 ml fish or vegetable stock
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• salt and black pepper
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve
• Dressed rocket salad with shaved parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan or shallow casserole over medium heat. Add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened, translucent, and just starting to catch gold at the edges.
2. Add the sliced garlic, chilli flakes, and oregano. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, just until fragrant — don't let the garlic colour past pale gold. Burnt garlic turns the whole pan bitter and there's no walking it back.
3. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble fiercely for 2 minutes, scraping any sticky bits off the base of the pan as it reduces — that fond is flavour you've earned.
4. Tip in the chopped tomatoes along with the stock. The stock matters here: it breaks the tomatoes down into a proper sauce so they taste of summer fruit, not heated tin. Bring to a simmer.
5. Stir in the orzo. Cook uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so it doesn't catch on the base, until the orzo is just tender and the sauce has thickened and clings around each grain. If it tightens up before the orzo is done, loosen with a splash more stock — you're aiming for loose and saucy, not stodgy.
6. Pat the prawns dry and season with salt and pepper — water means steam, and steam means rubbery prawns. Nestle them into the orzo so they're half-submerged in the sauce. Cook for 3–4 minutes, turning once halfway, until they're pink, opaque, and curled into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked.
7. Pull the pan off the heat. Stir through most of the parsley, all the lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice straight from one of the wedges — the acid lifts the tomato and wakes the prawns up. Taste and season again: another pinch of salt, a few cracks of pepper. Adjust now, not at the table.
8. Bring the pan straight to the table, scatter the remaining parsley over the top, and serve with the lemon wedges alongside for squeezing over each bowl.