Scott modeling the latest in lobster hat fashion.
With the recent opening of lobster season in I’ve come to find the freezer packed full of spiny lobster (this is due to my roommate who tries his best to outwit these sneaky crustaceans and occasionally succeeds). Yesterday Scott returned home from diving with two 2-lb lobsters – what else could I do but call dibs and make dinner.
The plan: brown butter, parmesan, & chive risotto with lobster, baked green and purple asparagus, and grilled red and white Belgian endives with a lemon, chive, white balsamic vinaigrette. The verdict: Success!
Dinner 11/11/10
The lobsters were steamed, chopped in half, cleaned, then thrown under the broiler.
The risotto was based on Giada De Laurentis’ Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster. Happily my first ever attempt at making risotto ended in triumph. I can see why people might say making risotto is a pain but if you follow the recipe it’s pretty straight forward, just don’t go stir crazy with all the stirring!
I needed something green to go with the starch and protein so I figured baked asparagus was an easy and healthy choice. The market had some beautiful green and purple asparagus. After tossing them in olive oil, I placed them on a cookie sheet covered in foil (making for easy clean-up). A little salt and pepper then into the oven at 400• for 20 minutes.
Right above the asparagus was a shelf with endives – I couldn’t resist. While quite bitter when eaten raw, grilling the endives brought the flavor to a whole different level. I brushed them with lemon juice and olive oil and threw them in the skillet over medium heat for 6 or 7 minutes. I decided to make a vinaigrette to go on top – mix all ingredients until emulsified:
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1/8 c. white balsamic vinegar
- 1 t. chopped chives
I can’t wait to use the leftover vinaigrette on a salad tomorrow night… and bake… and make another risotto… more to come.
meganmakes 