Recipe by Beth Aasen, Co-Owner of Donatello’s Italian Restaurant in Carmel
Lobster risotto is decadent, and time-consuming, but it’s a great treat to warm you up this season. Be warned, stirring alone takes about 20 to 30 minutes and that doesn’t include prep time, so this isn’t a quick dinner.
Ingredients:
2 live lobsters (1 pound each)
2 whole tomatoes
2 whole onions peeled
4 stalks celery
3 whole peeled carrots
1/2 cup white onion chopped
2 leeks
Tablespoon of thyme
Cup of cooking white wine
Tablespoon of chopped raw garlic
2 cups of arborio rice
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of ground parmesan cheese
Pepper and salt for seasoning to taste
Tablespoon of chopped chives.
Tablespoon of saffron
Directions:
First, you’ll need to create at least six cups of lobster stock. It’s hard to buy this at the store and it’s better to make your own fresh, so start off with a pot of about 8 to 10 cups of water, enough to submerge the lobsters in a pot. You might end up with more stock than you need but that’s OK since it freezes well for next time you make this dish.
To make the stock, warm up the water and then throw in the live lobsters. You might hear them “scream” but that’s not real, it’s just air coming out of their bodies. They have no vocal chords. Then you throw in the carrots, tomatoes, celery, whole onions, one leek and the thyme. Cook until the lobsters turn pink. Not only does this cook the lobster meat you need, but it also creates your stock, so you’re killing two birds with one stone (or two lobsters with one pot…) Remove the lobsters and strain your stock so it’s nice and clear and not full of chunks. Use a fine strainer.
Crack open the lobster and remove the meat and chop it up. Use your claw cracker or a hammer on a cutting board.
Once you have your stock, it’s time to make your risotto. Grab a large stainless steel or copper skillet and put it on medium heat. Add half your olive oil and butter and once it’s warm add chopped onions so they can sizzle. Next you’ll add the rice and immediately start stirring so it doesn’t stick to the pan. This is a dish that involves lots and lots of stirring and your wrist might get tired. From this point, keep adding a little stock and a little white wine and go back and forth until the rice has absorbed the flavor. You want the rice tender and the mixture creamy. This might take 20 minutes. Near the end, add saffron.
After you’ve got this start, in a separate pan, cook a half-cup of chopped leeks in a pan with melted butter and tablespoon of chopped raw garlic until the leeks are caramelized and soft. You’ll add the chopped up lobster, some garlic and a splash of white wine.
In the last five minutes, add parmesan cheese and the ingredients from the lobster pan. You don’t want to add the lobster or leeks in the beginning because it takes a while for the rice to absorb and the lobster will get tough and chewy if you add it too soon. Keep stirring and stirring so the rice can absorb all the wonderful flavors. Plate and garnish with chopped chives.
