Ciao Chow Linda

Lobster Fra Diavolo

Ingredients

• To Make The Lobster Broth (This will make a lot and you can freeze what you don’t need. Alternatively, you could buy bottled clam juice.):

• lobster shells from 2 or three lobsters

• water to cover amply

• 2 celery sticks

• 1 or 2 carrots

• 1 onion

• a couple of bay leaves

• salt, pepper

• To Make the Sauce (This makes more than you’ll need for 1 pound of pasta, but you can freeze what you don’t use.)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 cup minced onion

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 carrot, grated

• 1 celery stick, minced

• 3 cans cherry tomatoes (14 ounce cans) – or an equivalent amount of freshly roasted cherry tomatoes

• 1 cup tomato puree

• 1/2 cup dry white or red wine

• salt, pepper

• fresh basil

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• dried red pepper flakes, to taste

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup lobster broth

• 2 1 1/2 pound lobsters

• 1 pound linguini or spaghetti

Instructions

1. Buy two fresh lobsters and ask your fish monger to kill them while they are still alive.

2. If you don’t have access to fresh lobster, you can always use frozen (and thawed) lobster tails, but fresh is always best.

3. Have the fish monger remove and crack the claws, and break off the tail, then cut it in half lengthwise.

4. You won’t need the part with the lungs and there is so little meat in the legs (also impossible to extract), so don’t bother with those.

5. Make the lobster broth by placing the lobster shells, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper in a large pot, covering amply with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a couple of hours and reduce slightly to let the flavors intensify.

6. Drain through a cheesecloth, discarding all but the broth.

7. You will need only a small part of this broth.

8. Save the rest to make other recipes, including lobster or shrimp bisque.

9. To Make the Sauce:

10. Sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft.

11. Add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté over low heat until softened.

12. Add the tomatoes, the puree, the wine and seasonings and let simmer for about an hour.

13. Remove about 1 1/2 cups – 2 cups of the sauce and set aside.

14. You may want to add some back to the pot later when you add the pasta, but you should have enough to put some in the freezer later for another recipe.

15. To the remainder of the sauce in the pan, add the lobster broth.

16. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

17. Add the lobster pieces to the sauce and cook with the sauce over low to medium heat, with the lid on.

18. While the lobster is cooking, cook the pasta in boiling (salted) water until al dente.

19. When the pasta is nearly cooked, remove the lobsters from the sauce and set aside on a covered dish.

20. Drain the pasta, and add it to the pot with the sauce.

21. Swirl the pasta in the sauce, allowing it to absorb all the flavors.

22. The pasta should have enough sauce to cover, but not be swimming in sauce.

23. If necessary, add some of the reserved sauce.

24. Place the pasta in a serving bowl or dish, and place the lobster pieces all around.

25. Serve at once.