“Langosta o Langostinos a la Catalana con Chocolate y Almendras”

Makes 6 servings
When chocolate was introduced to the Catalan table in the eighteenth century,
it quickly enriched a fascinating and very old family of savory dishes flavored
with sweet ingredients. Chocolate became nearly indispensable in dishes like
Catalan-style spiny lobster (langosta a la catalana), stews featuring hare or
rabbit as well as partridge, and in braised dishes called estofats. In typical
Catalan style, chocolate became a part of
the picadaan essential mixture of chopped
nuts and herbs, added to saucy foods
almost at the end of cooking for flavor and
texture.
My friend Montse Guillén, the inventive Catalan chef who delighted Manhattan with her whimsical El International
restaurant in the 1980s, the second tapas bar in the U.S., taught me this dish many years ago. In her version she uses large prawns with shells and heads for maximum flavor, but I also like to use the more traditional lobster. Serve with rice or potatoes. - MP

Ingredients:

Shellfish
18 extra-colossal shrimp or prawns in the shells with heads on; or 4 lobster tails in the shell, cut across into 2-inch sections; or 2 pounds large shrimp, with shells intact
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
1-1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
8 sprigs of thyme
8 ounces smoked ham (sold as cooking ham in Hispanic markets) or
Serrano ham, coarsely chopped
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups chicken broth or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Picada
4 garlic cloves
2 ounces toasted blanched almonds
2 ounces dark chocolate, preferably Cluizel Los Ancones (67%
cacao), or the Catalan-made Chocovic Guaranda (71% cacao), or
Chocovic Ocumare (71% cacao), finely chopped
8 sprigs of parsley

Method:

Rinse the shellfish under running water and pat dry. If using prawns or shrimp, you may want to remove the shells, leaving the head and tail intact, for neater eating; reserve the shell. Place in a bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside.

To prepare the sauce: Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a 12-inch earthenware cazuela or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bay leaf, thyme and ham and sauté until the onion becomes translucent and starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the broth or water and season with salt and pepper.

Continue cooking, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and process into a smooth purée. Force through a coarse-mesh sieve and set aside.

Pour the remaining oil into the cazuela and heat over medium heat. If using shelled prawns or shrimp, add the reserved shells and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring.

Lift the shells out of the pan and discard. Add the shrimp or prawns and sauté briefly for about 1 minute. Lift out of the pan and reserve.

If using lobster, add to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Lift the lobster out of the pan and transfer to a plate. Add the puréed sauce to the pan and simmer over medium-low heat to thicken.

To make the picada, in a large mortar or food processor, pound together the garlic, almonds, chocolate and parsley.

Add to the sauce and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the shellfish and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes if using lobster or 3 minutes if using prawns or shrimp. If the sauce gets too thick, thin it with a little hot broth or water. Taste for salt and pepper and correct the seasoning. Serve at once.

Stephanie’s Wine Recommendation: In a heartbeat, I would pair this dish with a rich, nutty White Burgundy (Domaine Caillot “les Herbeux” is the first one to come to mind). A good quality Savennieres (Chenin Blanc) from the Loire Valley would be a close second. That being said, there are many traditionalists who like to pair recipes and
wines from the same geographical area. Cataluña has several excellent wine regions and the red wines of the Priorat region are some of the best, although they can be a little harder to find.