Zucchini and Shrimp Capellini

My favorite pasta is capellini. When I was a kid I was unfortunately subject to some very bad pasta that was always thick and sticky, so for many years I did not like pasta. It was capellini (from a different source than the said thick and sticky) that freed me from the curse.

This quick and easy recipe was designed especially for summer, and goes perfectly with the light and fluffy capellini. It will not bog you down or having you feel hot tired and sticky as we so often do this time of year.

For the sauce:
6 deepwater prawns ("northern prawns", or "pink shrimp")
200 g tomato sauce
1/2 a small-medium sized eggplant
20 g celery (finely chopped)
20 g bulb onion (finely chopped)
20 g red pepper (finely chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 head of garlic
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Start by cooking the olive oil and chopped garlic in a saucepan.
2) Add the shrimp when the garlic has been browned, and cook on low heat.
3) Add the onions and celery to the mixture and let them cook until soft.
4) Then add the remainder of the vegetables, and a little salt.
5) Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 3 minutes until done. Be sure there is just a little extra moisture in the sauce for when you add the pasta.

Pasta: 
120 g capellini,
half a zucchini (cut lengthwise)

Directions:
1) Use a peeler to slice sheets off the zucchini.
2) Slice the sheets lengthwise into very thin strips, like pasta.
3) Boil the zucchini with the pasta (approx two minutes) until the pasta is slightly al dente
4) Quickly cool the pasta by dumping it in a sieve and running it under cold water.
5) Add the pasta to the sauce pan and mix it all up on low heat, tossing until the sauce has coated the noodles. Then, serve.

Tips:

* My recipe does not use a lot of sauce - you may want to double the recipe if you prefer extra sauce.
* By the way, up there the picture has been taken with the sauce set on top only to show you the contrast of the zucchini strips with the noodles. As all pasta lovers know, proper pasta is served with the sauce mixed in with the pasta - it doesn't make for a good picture but sure makes for a good mouthful! I gave the instructions above as adding the pasta to the sauce, but you serve it any way you wish.