Recipe: Lobster Risotto

With how crazy our schedules have been lately, it felt like forever since I cooked dinner – I mean, really cooked. 

A week of vacation followed up by a week of traveling for work, topped off with a week of Mr. KK working late and boring, fast 'weekday' meals, this long weekend felt like the perfect time to pour a few cocktails, let the swanky sounds of Sinatra and Bublé fill the kitchen, and just cook.

And what better food to enjoy as the end of summer looms over our heads, than lobster!

I love risotto, and I love making risotto. It's not hard (I swear!), it just requires constant attention.

We watch a lot of food TV, and every season without fail, a contestant attempts risotto. And every time, it's the kiss of death. I swear, if I ever make it onto a cooking show, I'm making risotto. (You hear that, Tom Colicchio??)

(Little known kk fact: about 7 years ago I sent in a video submission for The Next Food Network Star. Guess what I made? Yup. Risotto with peas and lemon. And, no, nothing every came of it).

So here's my recipe* for lobster risotto.

Ingredients:

2 lobsters, steamed, delicious meat removed and cut into large pieces

(I leave the tails whole for presentation)

3 Tbsp of unsalted butter, divided

Olive oil

1 large shallot, diced

1 cup arborio rice

3/4 cup white wine (stuff you drink)

6 cups chicken stock, kept warm throughout cooking

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (cheese with fish? are you crazy? yes. yes I am)

A crisp white wine for drinking.

This recipe should probably feel 4 people. In our house, it feeds 2 people with a little leftover to be enjoyed by Mr. KK for lunch.

1. Do the lobsters first. Look at that gorgeous meat!

2. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter with a few swirls of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat (I sometimes do it over medium low, but my behemoth stove cooks hot)

3. Add the shallot, and sauté until translucent (but not brown)

4. Add the rice, and stir until you coat every piece with the butter/oil mixture. The rice should glisten. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to toast up a little bit.

5. Add the wine, and stir rice to pick up any bits that may have stuck to the pan. Stir until just about all of the wine evaporates.

6. Once the wine evaporates, add two ladlefuls of warm stock. Stir the rice to coat and work the broth around the pan. The rice will absorb the stock. When this happens, add another two ladlefuls of stock. Continue this until the rice is plump and creamy, anywhere from 22-26 minutes or so. I do it by taste. The rice should be creamy, but still have a little bit of bite left. I also season with salt and pepper along the way.

7. At the very end, stir in the cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice, then add the picked lobster meat and stir to warm through. Turn off the heat. Add 1 Tbsp of butter, stir to melt.

8. Serve with lobster tail on top.

As we were cooking our risotto, we grilled up some clams and just enjoyed them with lemon.

Happy end of summer!