Lobster Risotto

We made lobster risotto for Valentine’s Day! It was great. Risotto is one of the few dishes, aside from cereal, that I don’t need to follow a recipe. It takes awhile, but only because you have to slowly add the liquid and constantly stir the risotto so it doesn’t stick. I actually really enjoy it- there something very therapeutic about all the stirring...

There is a very basic recipe to follow when making risotto and then you can basically add anything to create different dishes (mushrooms, cheese, fish, vegetables, etc…). So here is what I did in this case:

Ingredients

1 cup risotto (Arborio rice
1 large shallot (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup champagne (because it was Valentine’s day!
I usually use dry white wine)
4-5 cups chicken stock (heated)
2 lobster tails (steamed and cut into small pieces)
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (finely grated)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

First thing: bring chicken stock to a boil in a small pot and keep simmering (I usually forget to do this right away!). This is important because you don’t want to add cold stock to the hot, cooking risotto.

Next, heat a large pan over medium heat and melt butter. Add olive oil and shallots and cook until translucent, about two minutes. Add risotto and cook for another two minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice becomes clear and starts to crackle when you listen closely. Add champagne and stir until absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup stock and stir until absorbed. Continue adding stock one cup at a time until absorbed and, you guessed it- keep stirring! Once all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, stir in the lobster meat for a minute or two. Remove from heat and fold in parm. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately!