Shrimp & Garlic Tagliatelle With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta Cheese

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! When I was living in the UK, my roommate, Ms. Popularity, and I would often go out for a movie (or two) followed by dinner on the weekends (when she wasn't out gallivanting with suitors). Traditionally, we'd go out for big juicy burgers or spicy south east Asian food and on some occasions some good old desi fare. Over a period of months, Ms. Popularity, who tends to experiment rather less with her food than I do, got bored of frequenting the usual joints and wanted to go someplace different. Now, I'm not particularly fond of Italian fare; I'll eat a pizza, sure, but pasta has never really floated my boat, and for several months I had been successful at distracting Ms. Popularity from the Italian restaurants that dotted our little town centre. Until that day..

It was a regular weekend, we had just watched a movie and were descending the escalator to go to the toy store downstairs (because, let's face it, toy stores are awesome!) when Ms. Popularity spotted the Italian restaurant across the floor. As her eyes lit up, a sigh escaped my lips. I knew what was coming, so I did what any grown man would do in such a situation; I rushed into the toy store and tried to hide behind the shelf with the action figures and light sabers (would someone please buy me one?). Unfortunately, in my hurry to make myself scarce, it slipped my mind that I had dragged Ms. Popularity into the store a thousand times and that she would know exactly where I'd be. Sure enough, 6 seconds later I was found out, and 5 minutes later, we were seated in the Italian restaurant as I tried my best to hide my sneer behind the menu.

She ordered something with tomatoes (I think) and I ordered something with shrimp and as I was eating, as I often do, I thought, 'I can cook this!' and so, a few weeks later, when my fridge was bare, I found some tagliatelle in the back of the cupboard, a pack of shrimp that would go off in a day, and proceeded to throw together a rare pasta dish. As luck would have it, it turned out pretty good and even won me some brownie points with my roommate.

For my  Shrimp & Garlic Tagliatelle With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta Cheese, you will need the following:

Tagliatelle (flat noodle pasta)   300 gms
Shrimp/Prawns                      200 gms (try and get the cooked ones)
Garlic                                    5-6 cloves
Parsley                                  handful
Cherry tomatoes                    10
Feta cheese                           medium sized block
Salt                                       to taste
Pepper                                  to taste
Olive oil

Prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Slice the garlic.
3. Chop the parsley.
4. Cube the feta as best you can.
5. De-vein the shrimp (if they aren't already).
6. Cut the tomatoes into halves.
7. Lay the tomatoes curved side down on a grease papered oven tray.
8. Sprinkle on a nice big pinch of salt and pepper.
9. Stick the tray in the oven for 8-10 minutes. (Keep checking that they don't burn, to be on the safe side.)

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a saucepan on.
3. Pour water in until it is about 3/4th full.
4. Pinch in some salt.
5. Splash in some olive oil.
6. Slide in the tagliatelle.
7. Bring the water to a boil.
8. Drop the heat a little and let it simmer.
9. Turn on another burner.
10. Bung a pan on.
11. Splash in some olive oil.
12. Chuck in the garlic.
13. Toss in the shrimp.
14. Throw on the parsley.
15. Cook until the shrimp turn a light pink. (If you're using cooked prawns, only cook for a minute or so or else the shrimp will curl up into a tight ball.)
16. If your pasta is cooked, turn off the burner, drain the water from the saucepan and stick the pasta in with the shrimp.
17. Add in the roasted cherry tomatoes.
18. Mix well.
19. Add salt (and a pinch of pepper) to taste.
20. Add in the cubed feta cheese.
21. Top it with a generous splash of olive oil.
22. Mix well.
23. Serve with a glass of chilled white wine and warm garlic bread.
24. Stuff face.
25. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: This is best eaten hot! Once the feta starts to melt and the pasta goes cold, you will be left with a sticky mess that isn't very pleasant.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!