Tropical Italian Pasta #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipe #pasta

Our blog is about East meets West culinary. Today, we would like to share a variation of popular Thai Pineapple Rice. We have used Barilla's new gluten-free pasta instead of rice to cook this dish. Full of creamy prawn flavour with a little pineapple tartness, this perfect combination is sure to both surprise and please when served.

Ingredients:

400g large Tiger Prawn - peeled with tail on.

250g  Chicken Breast - diced
1 cup Broadbeans - shelled
1 large (or 2 medium) Pineapples.
200g Barilla gluten-free Elbows
1/2 cup Barilla Napoletana Sauce
2/3 cup Thickened Cream
1/4  cup White Wine
1.5 cup grated Cheddar/Mozerella Cheese
1/2  cup Parmesan
30g Butter 
2 cloves Garlic - chopped finely
1-2 tablespoon Flat Parsley - chopped
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 210C
Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan with salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cook Barilla Elbows for about 4 minutes until half soft.
Drain and wash with cold water to avoid the pasta becoming softer before cooking in the pan.
Cut pineapple into halves.
To remove the flesh from the pineapple so you can present this dish in the shells, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pineapple.
Score the flesh so it can be removed. This may also be done using a melon baller.
Set flesh aside.  Use this flesh to make juice or jam from our recipe previously on the blog. 
Heat a saucepan with butter, stir fry garlic, chicken, prawns and broadbeans for a few minutes until caramelized. (If using frozen broadbeans, add in last 2 minutes)
Add white wine, then napoletana sauce and thickened cream.
Boil for 2-3 minutes on high heat.
Add elbow pasta and Parmesan, cook until creamy and the sauce is reduced
Add parsley and seasoning to taste.
Pour the pasta mixture into the pineapple until full.  Cover with grated cheese.
Bake in very hot oven about 10 minutes or until cheese melts and little brown.
Add a little chopped parsley on the top.

Serves 3-4  people.

Tips:

• Seafood mix or only chicken or roast vegetables can be used to cook this dish. So if seafood is not your thing or you prefer vegetarian there is a variation for you.

• If you prefer a richer colour, add more napoletana sauce and less thickened cream.

• If you pick pineapples with the head attached to give tropical look on serving, soak the head in water several hours and wrap with aluminium foil before putting into the oven to avoid it becoming dry.

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com