Civet of langoustine and calf sweetbread in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, caramelised calamari – by Simon Rogan

INGREDIENTS

(serves four)

12 number-one langoustines
4 baby squid
450-500g cooked calf sweetbread medallion
A little extra virgin olive oil
25g unsalted butter
25g clear honey

For the sauce
30g butter
60g shallots, peeled and sliced
Thyme/bay leaf/star anise
60g sliced button mushrooms
120ml Châteauneuf-du-Pape
1tbs sauce gazpacho (tomato/peppercoulis)
120ml fish stock
100ml demi glace

To garnish
Selection of miniature turned vegetables
Picked chervil

METHOD

Prepare langoustines by blanching them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then refresh in iced water. Peel the tails very carefully, trim and then reserve.

Take the squid, separate the heads and bodies and clean thoroughly, scraping the suckers off the tentacles very carefully with a sharp knife. Reserve the four lots of tentacles and the cleaned bodies cut into about eight rings with the langoustines.

Cut the veal sweetbreads into five medallions per portion. To make the sauce, sweat the shallots with the thyme, bay leaf and star anise. When they are transparent, add button mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes. Deglaze with the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and reduce by three-quarters. Incorporate the gazpacho and then the demi-glaze, pass through the muslin and keep warm.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add olive oil and 10g of butter and gently sauté the seasoned langoustines on either side for a couple of minutes. Take out and wipe the pan dry and repeat with the calf sweetbread medallions.

Wipe the pan again and caramelise the honey and 5g of butter gently with the squid rings and heads and drain. To assemble, place the langoustines in the middle of a dinner bowl and coat with the sauce, which has had 10g of butter blended with it. Arrange the sweetbread and squid pieces on to it and finish with a selection of miniature turned vegetables and picked chervil.

Simon Rogan