Lobster in the House

Today I went to the supermarket after work to start on the holiday shopping: ducks for the confit I plan to make on Sunday; ribs of beast for roasting on the Big Day itself; and rolls of wrapping paper in case I decide anybody has been good enough to warrant a present a this year. Walking past the fish counter, what did I spy but the first of the winter's hardshell lobsters, sullen, angry-looking, and covered in seaweed, daring me to buy them?

Well, that's the sort of bait to which I always rise, and in a trice I had four feisty fellows bagged up and in my cart. I cooked them as soon as I got home. Now, I do not do anything fancy with lobsters, preferring to dispatch them as quickly and simply as possible: I bring big spaghetti pots of water to boil (I figure two lobsters per pot); toss the crustaceans in; and leave 'em alone for five or six minutes. When a meat thermometer shows their tails have reached 130 deg F, they're done. What could be easier?

We are priorly engaged tonight, so I will de-shell them in due course, chop the tails into pieces (keeping the claws whole for garnish), and use at least half the meat for risotto tomorrow night (already having tubs and tubs of beautiful home-made stock in the freezer). Ah, risotto. The gluten-freedom fighter's answer to the pasta conundrum!

Here is how I make risotto aragosta:

I finely chop two large sweet onions (that's what I currently have in the fridge - Spanish onions and shallots work too, of course) and sweat them with a big blob of butter in my handy-dandy all-purpose copper saute pan (this is my favorite pan in the world: it's about thirteen inches wide and three inches deep with a rounded bottom and a shallow handle on each side - I cook everything in it and it's never let me down). Sweating onions takes a long time over very low heat, which gives me the opportunity to check my e-mail and bring about two quarts of lobster stock up to a gentle simmer in a separate pot (I eyeball the amount: it's about two-thirds of my favorite saucepan, which is why I say two quarts). When I judge the onions sufficiently sweet and soft, I add 10 oz of good Arborio rice - yes, this makes a mountain of risotto. I stir it all around for a bit, then add some thyme, a dash of cayenne, and a splash of Tabasco (but that's my secret ingredient, so mum's the word). Another few seconds of agitation and - splash! - I hit the mixture with a good dose of brandy, stirring while the alcohol bubbles off.

When everything has calmed down a bit, I start to add the hot stock, ladleful by ladleful, adding more as required. I stir fairly often - this can get tedious, so if nobody is keeping me company I generally read a book. I am currently trying to get through the new biography of  T.E. Lawrence, but I'll honestly admit it's hard going. Anyway, I stir and slop the stock for a good half hour or so, until the rice is just this side of al dente. I check for seasoning and usually add some salt and pepper at this point.

Time for the lobster tail pieces! I mix them in with the rice, add another blob of butter, put the lid on the pan, and turn the heat off so it can sit for its mandatory few minutes, getting all creamy and delicious. This gives me an opportunity to grate some Parmesan - don't even think about telling me I can't put cheese on seafood risotto! - which goes on after plates had been duly piled. A last grind of black pepper, the claws placed artfully on top, and I have a dish fit for, well, anyone at all, actually.

The shells, of course, will go into my next batch of stock.

Magnifico.