My easy-cook version of Georgio Locatelli’s recipe from his Made in Italy cookbook
As with most of the recipes on our website, I try to make them quick and easy to cook but packed with flavour. This recipe meets that criteria. So here is my take on Georgio Locatelli’s Prawns in a white bean stew.
The Made in Italy cookbook is a classic, and if you like cooking Italian food, it should be on your bookshelf. Georgio Locatelli is a great Chef, and he puts everything into this book. With nearly 400 pages of recipes, it’s the best reference book for Italian cooking I’ve come across.
So what and why have I made changes to Georgio’s recipe? Georgio uses fresh borlotti beans, which take about an hour to cook and are not as easy to find in supermarkets, so I have used white beans; I buy the beans in a jar as I think they are better than the beans in the tins. The white beans are ready to use, which speeds up the recipe without losing flavour.
Also, we don’t like to waste anything, and if you are using shell-on prawns, you can use the shells in the stock (in the recipe, I leave the heads on; feel free to use the heads in the stock). We also use the liquid in the white beans for the stock, which again adds to the flavour.
Feel free to check out all our recipes; you might like to try our Roasted butternut squash soup recipe, wholesome with a hint of spice.
Prawns with White breans
Print RecipeIngredients
- 12 x King Prawns (shell on or peeled)
- White beans in jar 400g
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery finely chopped
- small glass of wine
- 2 Tbsp of Tomato Passata
- Chopped sage
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil
- one sliced sweet chilli
Instructions
If you are using shell on Prawns, peel the body, leaving the head on(it looks nice) for half the prawns and the other peel completely.
Save the shell
Finely chop celery, garlic and sage.
Drain white beans and reserve the liquid. Slice the chilli, removing the seeds unless you want it extra spicy.
Heat olive oil in the pan, add the garlic and celery to the pan, and lightly fry (don’t burn the garlic); add the white wine and reduce by half. In a separate pan, add the reserved bean liquid with the prawn shells, heat for a few minutes, and strain. Once the wine has reduced, add the bean liquid to the pan, then add the tomato passata, white beans and chilli, and season with salt and pepper. Gently simmer. If you need more liquid, add water or stock.
If the prawns are raw gently heat in a frying pan with olive oil until pink; add prawns to the simmering stew (if you are using cooked prawns, add now to warm through); add the chopped sage. Simmer for a minute or so and you are ready to go. Serve in a bowl, and if you are feeling chefy add chopped parsley and a glug of olive oil.
Enjoy
