Prawns with Avocado and Ginger and Lemon Myrtle Mayonnaise

I have been wanting to make this dish for quite a long time. I surprised Mark last Wednesday night with a mid-week romantic meal and decided to serve this as an entree.

It was exceptionally easy and tasted delicious. It is important, however, to buy good quality, very fresh prawns as they really are the centrepiece here.

Unfortunately I cannot give precise measurements for the ginger and lemon myrtle to add to the mayonnaise. I just added a little bit at a time and then tasted the mayonnaise and kept adding more until I was happy. If I had to guess, I would say add about 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger and 1-2 teaspoons lemon myrtle. But really, you can just add however much you want until it tastes the way you want it to taste. I also added a very small amount garlic, but this is optional.

I used the mayonnaise recipe that I posted on 22 February 2009, but did not add the mustard.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 quantity mayonnaise (see post from 22 February 2009 and omit mustard)

1/2 - 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Approx 2 teaspoons lemon myrtle

1/2 clove garlic crushed

8 fresh cooked prawns peeled and heads removed

1/2 avocado sliced

Handful fresh mint

Method

Make the mayonnaise. Add ginger, lemon myrtle and garlic to taste. Arrange the prawns and avocado on a plate. Spoon over a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise and sprinkle over the fresh mint. Serve immediately.

Gnocchi with Quick Prosciutto and Tomato Sauce

I love to make gnocchi on the weekend ready for a quick Monday night dinner. The gnocchi recipe I have used here is the same recipe I posted on 13 April 2009. This time I made the gnocchi on Sunday and just stored it in the fridge ready for Monday. If I was going to store it for any longer I would have placed it in the freezer rather than the fridge.

I really cannot tell you how much better homemade gnocchi is than store bought gnocchi. Of course it does take a little extra time, but it is well worth the extra effort. Store bought gnocchi can be very heavy and glue-like, whereas homemade gnocchi is very light and tastes completely different.

But as I have said before, you have to be gentle with it - do not over knead and handle it very lightly.

Have a go!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1/2 tablespoon garlic

1 small brown onion finely chopped

1-3 cloves garlic (I like a lot of garlic, you may prefer less) crushed

100g prosciutto roughly chopped

1 tin crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Handful each of roughly chopped fresh parsley, basil and oregano

Parmesan cheese and a green salad to serve

Fresh gnocchi (as per post from 13 April 2009)

Method

Bring a large saucepan of boiling water to the boil. Add salt. Set aside until sauce is almost cooked.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp. Pour the tomatoes into the pan with the red wine vinegar and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.

Meanwhile bring the saucepan of water back to the boil and add the gnocchi. It only needs a minute or two to cook.

Remove sauce from the heat and stir through the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked gnocchi and stir gently to combine.

Serve with parmesan cheese and a green salad.