A Lobster Tale: Part Deux

Once again, apologies for the delay of this next segment of the Lobster Tale.  My goal is to post the final installment by the end of the month.  Yes, that would be in four days and not terribly likely to occur you may be saying, but if I don't get this moving the third recipe could very well end up being a lobster bisque for Christmas Eve.

Let me start by saying I have way too many cookbooks as anyone who has spent time in our home can tell you.  Sad to say, many are rarely taken out of the hutch and even more embarrassing, some have yet to result in anything edible.  One of those books was Gourmet LA.  It must have been purchased more than a decade ago during my first period of exile in California and is a collection of recipes from the Junior League of Los Angeles. 

Ironically, the cover photo is of what I believe was supposed to be Lobster Dijonnaise, but looks far more like a chopped lobster tail with hollandaise sauce.  Never once during my time in The Golden State did I eat lobster as it really isn't something associated with the region.  This is my way of connecting my past life with my current one where lobster really is an inherent part of the culture.  The below recipe is my variation on the published recipe as I'm still mayo free.

Lobster Dijonnaise

2 lobster tails, cooked and chilled
6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh           Italian parsley
2 teaspoons capers
Salt and pepper
Spinach, arugula, or mixed greens

Remove the lobster tails from their shell and chop the meat into 1/2"-1" chunks and set aside.  Combine the yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, parsley, and capers and blend well.  Add the lobster meat, and mix gently.  Season with salt and pepper and chill.  To plate, place the lobster mixture on a bed of greens.  Serves 2.

A Lobster Tale in Three Parts

Apologies all around for the inordinate amount of time since my last post, but August seemingly flew by and here it is the first day of September.  I have intended to do a series of three lobster recipes.....hence the "lobster tale (tail) in three parts"....ever since the price of lobster dropped below $4.00/lb.  Needless to say, I am only one part into the trilogy. 

A few weeks ago Dan went to our favorite lobster shack and returned home with four big boys.  The actual cooking of the lobster falls to Dan as well.  I'm a total wimp when it comes to throwing a living creature into a pot of boiling water or as Dan calls it, "the hot tub".  After they had met their untimely demise, we froze the four tails and decided to use the claw meat for a Lobster Fra Diavolo.

So what might parts two and three bring to the lobster tale?  I'm pondering a Lobster Dijonnaise and a Lobster Linguine, but have yet to determine the final destiny for the four frozen tails currently residing next to the container of Gifford's "Muddy Bean Boots" in the freezer.  The outcome for the "Muddy Bean Boots", however, is very clear....it's safe to say the lobster tails will be all alone tomorrow morning and the empty Gifford's carton will be in the trash.

 Lobster Fra Diavolo

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine or lobster stock
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cups cooked lobster meat
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 ounces brown rice fettuccine or linguine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Cook the pasta to desired tenderness.  While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until lightly caramelized, about five minutes.  Add the minced garlic to the onions and saute about 30 seconds.  Do not let the garlic burn!  After the garlic is fragrant, add the crushed red pepper flakes and saute briefly before adding the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, wine or stock, and oregano.  Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by approximately half, about fifteen minutes.  Add the lobster meat to the pan and cook for a few minutes to warm through.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Add the lobster mixture to the drained pasta and plate.

What's Up Doc?: Gluten-free Carrot Bread

Wishing everyone a Happy Spring!  By all accounts, it appears a good portion of the country has jumped right over Spring and landed in the middle of summer.  The sycamores in our neighborhood have started to green at the tippy top, my favorite bird has been singing beautifully, and Spring showers are predicted for this weekend.

Since I gave up white flour, my baking has come to a screeching halt.  I've wanted to experiment with some of my old recipes substituting gluten-free flour, but never got around to it until last weekend.  I thought the beginning of Spring and approaching Easter holiday would be as good a time as any to give our family's Carrot Bread recipe a go.  Amazingly, I think it actually turned out better with the substitution!

A little background before the actual recipe.  Most people who go gluten-free do so because of celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Why did I give up white flour?  Aside from my new eating regime, I had started to suspect white flour triggered a pain point on my lower left back.  Within a few hours of eating a product made with white flour, I would experience excruciating stabbing pains in that one very localized area.  When I eliminated white flour the pain went away.  In the years since banning white flour from my life, there have been occasions when I couldn't avoid eating it.  Like clockwork, the pain came back.  Some people might say it's all in my head.....what isn't in my head you might ask....but I can only respond to what I have experienced and I truly believe there is a connection.

 Gluten-free Carrot Bread 

4 free-range eggs
2 cups organic sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
1 teaspoon Bob's Red Mill Xanthum Gum
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups coarsely grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour the loaf pans.  This recipe will produce 2 full size loaves or 4-5 mini loaves.  Beat eggs and sugar together.  Add the oil, flour, xanthum gum, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well.  Add the grated carrots and mix well.  Spoon into the greased loaf pans.  For regular size loaves, bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the top.  For the mini loaves, bake about 40 minutes.

You can make this with regular flour if you prefer.  The recipe is exactly the same and the quantity of white flour is the same, simply omit the xanthum gum.