Visitors and prawns
Garlic prawns and sparkling wine
Our friends S and D came over with their two kids to see the new house. They had some exciting news of their own – their offer on a house had been accepted. They brought over a bottle of sparkling wine and we drank a toast to both our new houses.
Jac had bought a big bag of frozen prawns so she could make garlic prawns for us all. She simply cooked them in the wok with loads of garlic and olive oil. The smell was amazing as they cooked, and even more amazing when she presented us with this bowl piled high with juicy prawns.
S and D love garlic as much as we do, and we were all eagerly piling chunks of garlic on top of our prawns before eating. Even the kids, aged 5 and 2, enjoyed the prawns. We started out with toothpicks but soon switched to using fingers – much quicker, more efficient and infinitely more suckable!
The garlickyness reminded me of the Witches Cauldron’s garlic prawns, though theirs have a hint of chilli in the oil. S and I thought the prawns tasted buttery but Jac said she didn’t use any butter – just good old Home Brand extra virgin olive oil!
Dinner featuring peri peri prawns
S, D and kids left, and another guest, our friend M, came over for dinner. Jac had kept some prawns aside for dinner – she did ask if I’d mind prawns for afternoon snacks and for dinner, and I was “Are you kidding?! I’d have eaten prawns for breakfast too!” :D I would’ve been happy to eat garlic prawns again, but Jac made peri peri prawns instead, using the jar of Nando’s peri peri seasoning we bought ages ago. Once again she cooked the prawns to perfect burstiness. It’s really difficult not to be grabby when presented with something like this! :D
Besides the sweet potatoes, I loved the asparagus. Such a treat to have fresh blanched asparagus in a salad at home.
Jac had envisaged a “surf and surf” – fish and prawns. She panfried John dory filets that she’d rubbed in seasoned flour.
Jac bought a tub of antipasto mix from the supermarket deli to take along to her last hockey match – her team mates planned to have drinks and nibblies afterwards – but in the end she wasn’t well and didn’t go, and so we decided to just throw this in for dinner.
I deliberately avoided the olives in the antipasto mix, of course. But the sundried tomatoes and chargrilled eggplant were fantastic. I was very greedy with that eggplant. You may have noticed my fish is sitting in a sauce on the plate – it’s a cream and sage sauce Jac whipped up.