We’re spending the Dutch winter within the Australian summer season, and that is the primary time I’m not cooking at house for Christmas. I’ve very restricted cooking gear within the camper, and after I did the purchasing for components I didn’t know what the camp kitchen on the caravan park was going to be like. And so I had to think about one thing that I might make within the camper if wanted. With one small frying pan, one small pot, and one even smaller pot. And a small gasoline range that was not highly effective in any respect. To have one thing very good for Christmas anyway, I picked a really good wine (a 2012 Robinson Winery Chardonnay by Moorooduc Property, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia) and picked a really good ingredient: Australian rock lobster. I obtained it already boiled, as a result of reside rock lobsters weren’t accessible. But in addition as a result of the rock lobster wouldn’t slot in any of the pots and pans, and since I might not have been capable of maintain it alive till Christmas anyway. This was the primary time I ready rock lobster, and I seen that in comparison with lobsters from Europe or North America, it was extra meaty, regardless that it doesn’t have claws. There may be even fairly a little bit of meat contained in the ‘antennae’ on its head. To get probably the most out of the lobster, I used the shells to make a bisque and serve it over pasta. So though this was made with a considerably much less geared up kitchen than a ‘regular’ Christmas dinner, it was nonetheless fairly a bit of labor. Despite the fact that I might use the range within the camp kitchen. But it surely was price it, it was scrumptious!
Components
For two to three servings
- 1 boiled rock lobster of about 900 grams (2 lbs)
- chopped aromatics for the inventory, I used fennel as a result of that’s what I had, however carrot, onion, and celery can be extra conventional
- 200-300 grams tagliatelle (relying on what number of servings)
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) dry white wine
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream
- salt and freshly floor black pepper
- 1 Tbsp minced contemporary flat leaf parsley, stalks reserved for the stok
- some freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp butter
Directions
Take the meat out of the rock lobster, and reserve the shells.
Find the gills and discard them, as a result of they offer off a bitter taste.
There is not only meat within the tail, but additionally within the legs, and the primary physique, and even the antenna. It’s fairly straightforward to get the meat out of the legs, as you’ll be able to break them simply together with your fingers (not like the lobsters I’m used to coping with).
Chop the lobster meat and reserve within the fridge.
Lower within the cross within the backside of the plum tomatoes.
Deliver a pot of water to a boil, then add the tomatoes and boil them till the pores and skin breaks, 30 to 60 seconds.
Carry them out of the water as quickly because the pores and skin breaks…
…and plunge them in chilly water. Reserve the boiling water. (When camp cooking you don’t need to have to attend for the water to boil twice!)
The pores and skin ought to now come off simply. Take away the pores and skin and seeds from the tomatoes and add to the pot with water…
…along with the lobster shells, chopped fennel, and chopped parsley stalks.
Deliver to a boil, then scale back the warmth to a simmer, and simmer for half an hour. Not longer, to stop a bitter taste.
Within the meantime, chop the skinned and seeded tomatoes (that is now referred to as concassé), and reserve.
After half an hour of simmering, pressure the inventory by means of a sieve. I needed to improvise with the 1 pan and a pair of pots I had, as a result of the inventory had been made within the bigger pot and didn’t all match within the smaller pot. I had truly purchased the sieve, as a result of it didn’t include the cooking gear within the camper (and I had introduced a ceramic chef knife from house — ceramic as a result of it doesn’t want sharpening and is gentle for the bags; I truly purchased that in 2013 throughout our first camper journey in Australia).
Deliver the inventory to a boil, and simmer it till it has been decreased to about 125 ml (1/2 cup).
There may be a number of taste on this decreased lobster inventory. Up so far, the dish may be ready prematurely.
Soften 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over excessive warmth.
When the froth retreats, add the chopped lobster meat, and stir for a minute over excessive warmth.
Add 60 ml of white wine, and stir over excessive warmth till half of the wine has evaporated, then switch the contents of the pan to a dish and reserve.
In the identical pan, with out cleansing it, soften the remaining two tablespoons of butter, and add the chopped tomatoes as quickly as the froth retreats. Season with a little bit of freshly floor black pepper (or a little bit of cayenne pepper, which I didn’t have within the camper). Don’t season with salt, because the decreased lobster inventory is salty sufficient by itself.
Cook dinner the tomatoes over excessive warmth, stirring, till they’ve fallen aside.
When the tomatoes and decreased lobster inventory are nearly prepared, deliver a pot of water to a boil, and add salt and the tagliatelle. Boil the tagliatelle for 1 minute lower than the time indicated on the bundle.
When the tomatoes are now not water, add 60 ml of cream.
Simmer the tomatoes with the cream, stirring.
Chop the parsley.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the decreased lobster inventory.
Stir for a minute over excessive warmth (because of this you needed to prepare dinner the pasta for 1 minutes lower than indicated on the bundle), then flip the warmth to low.
Add the tomatoes and cream…
…and stir to include.
Add the chopped lobster and parsley…
…and stir to include.
Serve without delay with just some drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Wine pairing
That is nice with an excellent oaked Chardonnay that’s complicated with steadiness between acidity and creaminess.
