Fregola con melanzane, gamberi e arance sangue (Fregola with aubergine, tiger prawns and blood oranges) – by Massimo Soddu

Ingredients

(Serves four)

For stock
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 onion
100g peeled tomatoes
50ml olive oil
50ml brandy
50ml Vermentino (dry Sardinian white wine)

For the fregola
200g fregola (Sardinian pasta)
7 blood oranges

For the prawns
8 black tiger prawns (remove heads, but keep for stock)
30ml olive oil
1 red chilli
1 clove garlic
50ml Anghelu Ruju (Sardinian port-like wine)

For the aubergine
1 large round aubergine
40g flour
80ml groundnut oil

To finish and garnish
20ml olive oil
Chilli
1 clove garlic
40g butter
1 blood orange
60g sugar
20g parsley
Salt and pepper

Method
For the prawn stock, dice the celery, carrot and onion and sweat in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the heads of the prawns, and brown. Add the brandy and let it evaporate. Add the peeled tomatoes, white wine and two litres of water. Let it simmer on low heat for an hour. Sieve the stock and season.

To cook the fregola, bring the juice of seven oranges to the boil with two litres of water. Add the fregola, take off the heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

For the prawns, split the headless prawns in half, clean and sauté in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, garlic and chilli. Flambé with the Anghelu Ruju.

For the aubergine, slice the aubergine thinly, lightly dust with flour. Fry the slices in groundnut oil.

To finish, brown some garlic and chilli in remaining extra virgin olive oil, add the fregola (which has absorbed the juices) and some of the prawn stock. Add a knob of butter and toss together.

To plate, layer the aubergine slices with the fregola to make a tower. Assemble two prawns on top of each tower. Garnish with fresh and caramelised blood orange segments and a sprinkle of parsley (to caramelise, melt sugar and juice in a pan, boil until it caramelises and pour over the orange segments).

Massimo Soddu, head chef, Sardo Canale, London