I’ve been in a Thai food mood lately so when I got my hands on a few langoustines I didn’t think twice about the direction I wanted to take. After a little visit to my favorite Thai market on Mosco street in Chinatown and stocking up on Thai bird chili, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves I decided to settle this craving in the kitchen, plus there was those wonton skins that needed to be used before I lose them to the refrigerator Gods. The tiny fava beans, the first of the season, are an incantation to mother nature to remind her we’re very much ready for the spring in this part of the world. I just looked at the weather forecast and apparently she didn’t get the memo, the 80 degrees weather in my kitchen will do for now.

I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this dish. The sauce had a nice balance between the citrus and the coconut milk with the floral complexity of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass and a real kick from the Thai bird’s eye chili which all played nice against the delicate langoustine ravioli. Light but with a lot of flavor, that’s a dish that I will be making again soon.

Langoustine Ravioli with Citrus-Coconut Sauce, Thai chili & Fava Beans

Serves 4

For the citrus-coconut sauce: 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup coconut milk 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger 1 lemongrass, minced 1 Kaffir lime leaf 1/2 Thai bird chili (remove seeds) For the ravioli: 16 langoustines, cleaned 16 wonton skins 8 Thai basil leaves (optional) salt and pepper eggwash To finish: fava beans Thai basil Thai bird chili, sliced

For the Citrus-Coconut sauce: Combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, turmeric, grated ginger, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf and Thai bird chili in a small sauce pan and reduce by half over medium low heat. Add the coconut milk and cook gently for another 10 minutes. Strain and reserve. For the langoustine ravioli: Place 8 squares of wonton skin on a work surface. Place a langoustine in the center of each. Season with salt and pepper and place a small leaf of Thai basil on top if using. Brush the eggwash all around the langoustines and top with another piece of wonton skin. Seal tightly and cut out ravioli using a cookie cutter. Reserve on a lightly floured tray in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do not make them more than 2 hours before of the dough will get soggy. To finish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. At the same time heat some olive oil in a sautee pan. Quickly sautee the remaining langoustines and season with salt. Cook the ravioli in the simmering water for 2 minutes. Drain. Heat the citrus-coconut sauce and the fava beans in a pan. Add the ravioli. Plate 2 ravioli and 2 sauteed langoustines per person and garnish with fava beans, Thai chili and basil. Serve hot.



Be Sociable, Share!



















Tags: Appetizer, Pasta, Seafood