The commonest mistake here is cooking the prawns along with the sauce. Prawns cook in three minutes; the sauce has to be made without them and the prawns go in last. The cheese is part of the browning, not of the cooking.
Ingredients
For the sauce
For the top
Method
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Fry the mushrooms
Cook the mushrooms in butter over a high heat for 8 minutes, until they release their liquid and take it back up.
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Add the vegetables
Add the onion, garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
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Finish the sauce
Add the tomato paste and grated tomato and cook for 6 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add the salt and pepper.
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Add the prawns
Stir the prawns into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes only.
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Divide into dishes
Transfer the mixture to individual earthenware dishes or an ovenproof dish.
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Brown
Scatter cheese over the top and bake at 200 degrees for 8 minutes, until the cheese browns. Serve with parsley.
Tips
- Let the prawns have only two minutes in the sauce; they carry on cooking in the oven.
- Fry the mushrooms separately; put in with the vegetables they release liquid and thin the sauce.
- If you use frozen prawns, drain them thoroughly, as the ice ruins the sauce.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.