Yamba prawn goulash (kar des güveç)

If you have some small ovenproof terracotta pots, you can delight your guests with individual servings. The Australian coastal town of Yamba is famous for its sweet prawns (shrimp) — both its small school prawns, and the medium–large ones we are using here.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz/¼ cup) olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 long green chillies, chopped
• 2 small green capsicums (bell peppers), chopped
• 500 g (9 oz) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) raw Yamba prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, leaving the tails intact
• 15 g (½ oz/½ cup) chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, plus extra to garnish
• 30 g (1 oz/½ cup) chopped dill
• 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) crumbled Bulgarian feta

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish on the stove top.

Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft.

Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more.

Stir in the chilli, capsicum and tomato. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for another few minutes.

Add the prawns, parsley and dill and cook for a final 2 minutes.

Sprinkle the feta over the mixture, then transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Garnish with extra parsley and serve immediately, with crusty bread.

Recipe and image from Turkish Meze, Sevtap Yuce (Hardie Grant Books, $39.95, hbk)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.