Mesquite-Grilled Tiger Prawns with Pesto, Cannellini Beans, Grilled Radicchio, Fennel and Confit Tomatoes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 10 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 heads garlic, broken into cloves and left unpeeled
- 1 bunch thyme
- salt and white pepper
- 16 tiger prawns, shelled
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce (see preceding recipe)
- 4 8-inch wooden skewers
Grilled Vegetables and Greens:
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 head radicchio
- 2 cups hearts of romaine lettuce
- 2 cups arugula leaves
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 4 confit tomatoes (see preceding recipe)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups cannellini beans, cooked with garlic and rosemary
- salt and white pepper
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°.
- Place tomatoes in a baking pan with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Crush garlic cloves and scatter around tomatoes.
- Add thyme.
- Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes have cooked down to a quarter of their size.
- Cool at room temperature in the oil.
- Remove from oil and place evenly on another baking pan. (Strain oil and reserve for further use. Save the garlic and thyme to use in stocks.)
- This recipe makes extra.
- Place four prawns on each skewer and grill over mesquite.
- Brush with pesto sauce.
Grilled Vegetables and Greens:
- Cut fennel bulbs into 1/4-inch wedges and cut radicchio into eight wedges.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Drizzle with a small amount of the olive oil.
- Grill over mesquite until fennel is golden brown and soft and radicchio is lightly colored and wilted.
- Chill.
- Clean hearts of romaine; use only the small, white middle leaves. Rinse and set aside.
- Pick leaves of arugula and basil; rinse and drain well.
- Mix romaine with arugula and basil and warm confit tomatoes.
- Set aside.
- Place all ingredients in an Oster® blender and puree until well blended.
- Toss greens in olive oil and lemon juice.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Place a mound in center of each plate.
- Mix cannellini beans with chilled fennel and radicchio, and place on top of greens.
- Remove shrimp from grill and lay on top of vegetables.
- Drizzle with pesto sauce.
