Live the Live ™

One of the most incredible dishes we’ve had was on the beautiful island of Santorini, Greece: pasta with lobster sauce. It’s one of those dishes that takes time to prepare, because the lobster sauce they make is a labor of love…time consuming, but so spectacular.

 

 

To try to copy that lobster sauce we had in Santorini, I start with a kick-ass lobster stock. It’s simple but flavorful:

 

clean, empty claws, tails and bodies from two 1-1/2 lb. boiled lobsters (use the legs, too)
12 cups water
1/2 onion
3 celery stalks
1 carrot

Place all the ingredients in a large pot and set it on high heat. Crush the lobster shells (I use a potato masher!) Cook until the stock is reduced by half.

Strain the stock, discarding the lobster shells and veggies. Bring the stock back to the heat and reduce it until all you have left is 1 cup of intense stock.

 

 

Now that you have the stock, you can make the sauce!

 

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
pinch of Italian red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon parsley
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup lobster stock
1/4 cup San Marzano tomato sauce (see below)
splash of white wine (I use an un-oaked Chardonnay)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

1/2 lb. cooked pasta (firmer than al dente)

Add some olive oil to a pan and sauté the onions until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes and parsley.

Add 1/4 cup of the lobster stock and let it cook, reducing it by half. Add the other 1/4 cup of lobster stock and then the tomato sauce. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and add the white wine. Cook for a few minutes more, to cook out the alcohol.

Cook the pasta and drain it even before it reaches the al dente stage. Place the pasta in the pan with the sauce, heating and coating it thoroughly. A touch of butter can’t hurt anything!
Serve immediately, with or without the lobster meat. (Since the lobster was already cooked, you just need to add it to the pan for a few minutes to warm it through.)

 

For the San Marzano tomato sauce: I pour a can of San Marzano tomatoes  into a food processor or blender and blend. Pour it into a pan and reduce it over medium heat by half, until the sauce has thickened. Then use it in this recipe.