Cheese-and-spinach tortellini with shrimp

This was a fairly involved dinner. Prepare a pasta dough — semolina flour, salt, an egg, some water, making sure it is pliable but not tacky — and also the filling for the tortellini — grated romano cheese blended with sauteed spinach. Roll out the dough fairly thin, and cut into medium-sized squares. For each square, place some filling in the center, fold over and press the edges into the triangle, and then roll the pasta around your finger into a bishop's cap. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile (yeah, right) devein half a pound of large prawns, cover with water, and boil a minute or two until they are pink throughout. Toss the prawns in a large serving bowl with olive oil, fresh parsley, and lots of minced garlic.

Drop the pasta one-by-one into the salted boiling water, using a wooden spoon to keep them from sticking. The pasta should cook two or three minutes, and will float when it's done. Remove with a slotted spoon, and toss with the prawns and garlic.

Serve with a very cold wine. Discover that the cheese you used (a Spanish fulvi) was much too strongly flavored; the dinner is one you will make again, but with a much more mild cheese.