November 3, 2014

Lobster Risotto {and surprise I moved!}

It’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I moved!

I hope you guys aren’t mad that I didn’t tell you earlier. It’s just something that I wasn’t ready to discuss in this space until now. I’m sure everyone here can relate to the mixed bag of feelings that accompanies a big life change. So that road trip I took in the beginning of October was actually me moving across the country! I’m sneaky.

Leaving Seattle was definitely bittersweet. It’s a great city and I loved my little floating home. But I was ready for a new adventure and new opportunities. It’s great to be near my family again. And I have some exciting work opportunities on the horizon (more on that later). I must say New England has been treating me pretty well since my return. Although yesterday it did snow, which I was somewhat unprepared for…

I’m currently living on a small barrier island off of Massachusetts. So while technically my kitchen is no longer floating, I think living on a island is the next closest thing. I’ve just been here a couple weeks, but so far it’s turning out to be a pretty interesting lifestyle and I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories to tell. And the Atlantic Ocean is right out my back door, which is obviously amazing.

So to celebrate my re-insertion back into New England, I thought I would create a dish that included something well known to the area. No, I didn’t make us a cake entirely out of Dunkin Donut munchkins (although I may have just given myself the best.idea.ever). I made lobstah!

Lobster Risotto is a great way to enjoy lobster at home without breaking the bank, as most of the heft of the recipe comes from the Arborio rice, which is inexpensive (especially compared to lobster!). And cleaning out a few lobster tails is a lot easier and less messy than dealing with whole live lobsters. This dish isn’t super fishy tasting, which I appreciate. I actually don’t like my seafood to taste too much like seafood. Does that make sense? Maybe I’m just a weirdo. And it’s not super heavy either. I opted to just use a few pieces of shaved Parmesan for garnish, instead of stirring the cheese it into the risotto like most recipes will have you do. And the lemon zest and chives keep things tasting very fresh. Overall, I’d say it was a good introduction back to New England living.

Looking forward to sharing recipes with you from 42.79°N, 70.81°W.

Cheers,

Liz

Lobster Risotto {and surprise I moved!}

Serves about 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh lobster tails (about 4-5 tails)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• Shaved Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster tails and cook for 8-10 minutes. The shells will curl and the meat will turn white. Drain and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a low simmer. Keep it warm while you are making the risotto.
3. In a large heavy-bottom sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced leek and diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the rice.
4. Add the brandy and the white wine and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated. Add 1/2 cup of the warm chicken broth and cook, with stirring, until it’s almost completely absorbed. Continue adding chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to absorb before adding more broth. This whole process should take about 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the lemon zest, chives, salt and pepper and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
6. Remove the meat from the cooked lobster tails. Working with one at a time, place the lobster tails belly side down on your cutting board, trying to flatten them out as much as possible. Using a sharp knife, carefully split the tail in half lengthwise. Using your fingers, remove the meat from the shells. I find if you can get your finger between the meat and the shell, you can usually remove all the meat as one large piece. Continue until all the shells have been cleaned. Discard the shells. Roughly chop the lobster meat and gently stir it into the risotto.
7. Serve warm with a few shavings of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

3.1

https://www.floatingkitchen.net/lobster-risotto/