Salad with Lobster-stuffed Rigatoni and Coralline Sauce with Olive Pastry Crisps
Lobster medallions top rigatoni stuffed with a soft savory vegetable mixture. The lobster is accompanied by an herb salad tossed with lemon juice and olive oil, and olive-stuffed pastry crisps. The dark sauce is made with squid ink.
Ingredients
- Olive Pastry Crisps
- Black or Nicoise Olives - 1 1/4 cup, pitted
- Virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
- Phyllo Pastry - 1 package
- Lobster Preparation
- Chicken Lobsters - 2, approximately 1-1/2 pounds each
- Vegetable Stock (see Basics) - 1 quart
- Dry white wine - 2 cups
- Carrot - 1, chopped
- Onion - 1 small, chopped
- Bouquet Garni - 1 bouquet garni (3 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with cotton string)
- Sauce Coralline
- Lobster heads (reserved from above)
- Creme Fraiche - 4 cups
- Salt and finely ground pepper to taste
- Bouquet Garni - 1 bouquet garni (3 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with cotton string)
- Bird Pepper - 1 (alt. other small hot pepper)
- Shallot - 1, cut in very fine dice
- Carrot - 1 small, cut in very fine dice
- Lobster coral (reserved from above)
- Vegetable Stuffing and Rigatoni
- Virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup
- Yellow Onion - 1, sliced thin
- Garlic Cloves - 4, peeled and slightly crushed
- Garlic Clove - 1, peeled and minced
- Bouquet Garni - 1, (3 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with cotton string)
- Red Bell Pepper - 1, peeled, seeded, and cut into narrow julienne
- Green Bell Pepper - 1, peeled, seeded
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Tomato - 1, peeled, seeded, and quartered
- Curry powder - 1/4 teaspoon
- Tabasco - 2 dashes
- Rigatoni Pasta (uncooked) - 1-3/4 ounces
- Ink Sauce
- Clarified Butter - 1 tablespoon (see Basics)
- Yellow Onion - 1, minced
- Chicken Stock (see Basics) - 1/2 cups
- Squid Ink - 1 packet
- Herb Salad
- Flat Parsley, chervil, tarragon, fennel, and basil - 1 sprig
- Mixed baby greens - 1 cup
- Virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Chives - 10 to 12, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Sea Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Fresh Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon, finely ground
- Curry powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Instructions
To make the pastry crisps: Process the olives in a food processor until a paste forms. Press the paste through a tamis or fine-meshed sieve. Put the paste in a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush lightly with olive oil. Spread a layer of phyllo on the parchment and brush lightly with olive oil. Top with a second layer of phyllo and brush lightly again with olive oil. Repeat to form 6 layers. Orient the baking sheet so that it is horizontal in front of you. Pipe six lines of the olive paste horizontally across the phyllo, starting half way down from the top edge. Fold the phyllo in half, encasing the olive paste strips. Cut across the pastry at 1/4-inch intervals, cutting through the pastry but leaving it in place on the baking sheet. Bake 6 to 7 minutes, until crisp. Remove and cool.
To cook the lobster: Kill the lobsters by quickly inserting the point of a heavy knife in the center of the head between the eyes. Remove the claws and tail. Reserve the lobster heads and coral for the coralline sauce.
Run a skewer lengthwise through each tail to keep it from curling, or tie the tails to the handles of wooden spoons with cotton string. Combine all ingredients except the lobster in a pot and bring to a boil. Plunge the lobster claws and tails into the pot and return to a boil. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until bright red. Remove and drain. Discard the bouquet garni. Let cool; remove the skewers or wooden spoons. Remove the tail and claws from the shell. Set the meat aside. If not using right away, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate; warm in a little butter or stock before proceeding.
To make the coralline sauce: Put the lobster heads in a deep saucepan and cover with creme fraiche. Season lightly with salt and pepper and add the bouquet garni and bird pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the minced vegetables, cover, lower to heat to medium-low, and cook 2 hours. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Return the sauce to low heat and stir in the lobster coral. Keep warm.
To prepare the stuffing and rigatoni: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until just beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, bouquet garni, and pepper. Stir or toss to combine, then season with salt and pepper. Cook 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomato. Cook 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of the remaining olive oil and the curry powder. Stir to blend. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 18 to 20 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary to keep the mixture from sticking. When finished, remove the whole garlic cloves and stir in the Tabasco. It should be the consistency of marmalade. Let cool.
While the vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the rigatoni. Cook until just softened; drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well again and dry on paper towels. Let cool.
Cut the rigatoni into 1/2-inch-thick circles and stuff each with the vegetable mixture.
To make the ink sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 30 seconds. Cover with chicken stock and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the squid ink and blend. Cook 1 minute longer. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and set aside; keep warm.
To prepare the greens: Tear the herbs and greens into small pieces. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice. Reserve 2 tablespoons and toss the rest with the herbs, greens, and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve: Combine the salt, pepper, and curry powder. Cut the cooled lobster tails into 1/4-inch-thick medallions and drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the curry seasoning mixture. Place a 5-inch ring mold to one side of a serving plate and fill with stuffed rigatoni. Arrange overlapping lobster tail medallions over the rigatoni. Press together gently. Remove the ring. Place one claw meat piece on the other side of the plate. Repeat with remaining plates. Drizzle coralline sauce around the circle of lobster and rigatoni, then drizzle ink sauce around the plate. Fit bits of salad into the top of the lobster ring, then fill in with more salad. Stand three olive pastry crisps up, pyramid-style, over each lobster ring.
