This was one of the first Chines recipes we found in a cookbook (Kare Jup Ha Kow) and prepared as we started to travel around Asia and missing the Asian taste once back at home.
With the time we adapted the recipe to our taste but we kept the to the combination of prawns, broccoli and baby ginger; the last one the big hit in this dish!
This need a bit of time for the preparation of the broccoli florets and assembling with the prawn, but it looks so pretty that we never skipped this step.
Shell and devein the shrimp letting the last part of the tail as it is.
Wash the broccoli and with a knife prepare as many florets as the prawns. Make a point at the end of the green stalk.
Make an incision on the tail of the prawn and pass the end of the broccoli stem though this hole.
In a small bowl combine water with cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a wide non-stick frying skillet. Add garlic, and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.
Add the prawn with the broccoli to the skillet and fry for about 2 minutes. Turn gently and cook for one more minute,
Add soya and rice wine, reduce the heat to minimum.
Add the mixture of water and cornstarch cover, shake gently the skillet, and cook for two minutes or until broccoli begins to turn a bit soft. Add more water or soya sauce to taste if needed.
Until now I’ve not yet posted a lot of recipes with pulses. Pulses are great source of proteins and they are effectively very versatile, which allow us to combine them with many ingredients.
This inspiration comes from a dish which I got the chance to try in Galicia (Spain) last December. It was in a picturesque village called just in front of the sea and a beautiful island. The ambiance with our friends, the golden sunlight and then this delicious dish made these moments unforgettable.
No wonder I tried to replicate this and adapt the recipe to ingredients I may found at home.
The original included a local lobster kind called “bogavante”, I’m sorry I had to replace it with langoustines, but it turned very delicious with them as well.
For my version it’s very important to prepare a shellfish stock.
As shellfish are generally quite expensive, it makes sense to be using up every last part of the crustacean in order not extract the maximum of the flavour. The shells and legs (once meat has been extracted where possible) of lobsters, crabs, crayfish, langoustines and prawns impart a lot of richness taste – especially after they’re roasted. Good to know: the heads also contain precious juices. While some more old-school recipes require the whole crustacean including its meat, this is a touch more work, but it is gently way to cook the tender flesh (short cooking time) and at the same time get as much taste as possible form the shells (long cooking time). Carefully shell crustaceans and keep the meat separate from the shells to be cooked and eaten separately. Rinse any shells which may be hiding grit or sand (this is particularly important with crabs) and break down larger shells into smaller pieces. This gives them a larger surface area, which touches the bottom of the pan and caramelises, creating more flavour.
White Beans with Lagoustines Stew – Habas/Alubias blancas con Langostinos
Parsley, chives or green onion, chopped for serving (optional)
Preparation
Soak your beans the night before: put your beans in a pot and cover them in a few centimeters of water. Forgot to soak your beans? Don’t stress out. You can also quick soak beans and get a similar effect. Just put those beans in a pot, cover them with boiling water, and cover the pot and let them sit for at least one hour in the hot water.
Drain the beans them to another pot, then cover them in a few inches of water (the exact amount isn’t important). Bring them to a simmer only lightly with little for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime peel and devein langoustines. Separate shells from flesh.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-sticky skillet and roast the shells until fragrant. Add 2 cups of water, the bay leaf and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain and keep the stock.
Boil the onion, the carrots and 2 garlic cloves into the prepared stock for about 10 minutes. If necessary add more water. Add the almonds and blend this mixture.
Drain the beans and add the broth and veggies mixture to the beans.
Season with salt, paprika and add the wine. Add tomatoes paste. Continue to simmer until the beans are just done. If necessary add more water.
Chop the other 2 garlic cloves and fry them until they become fragrant. Add the langoustines or the shrimps on both sides for about 2 minutes until they get lightly roasted colour.
Combine the beans stew with the shellfish and serve immediately.
Optional add some parsley, chives or green onion for serving
This recipe is double recipe: this means that the same ingredients had been used for both asparagus and prawns! The inspiration came from Jumbo Shrimp Parmesan by Marie
Both were amazing, we prepared both at the same time and both went perfectly with spaghetti for a full meal.
Originally the recipe was intended to be prepared with king prawns. Well I really don’t know if it would be better with them as the result was so delicious that I can’t imagine it better.
For 4 peoples served with fresh bread (as baguette) and salad this makes a main course.
I can imagine that this served on noodles would make a delicious dish as well.
If you prefer to use this as starter this would serve about 8 to 10 persons.
You need
4 tablespoons butter or margarine (only good quality!)
1/2 head of garlic, peeled chopped
1 1/2-2 pounds uncooked shrimps, shells on (or king prawns)
1/4 cup Cognac, other Brandy with more than 38% alcohol is also suitable
salt
pepper
parsley, finely chopped for garnish
lemon wedges
Directions
First of all be sure you have all your ingredients ready!
In large frying pan melt the butter at maximum heat, add garlic and fry for some seconds.
At this point add shrimps and sauté stirring constantly for some minutes until pink.
Be sure you have a flame source ready (be careful for this step please), add whisky and set it alight. Shake the pan slightly until the flames are gone.
Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
artandkitchen 