Lobster Risotto

This is a meal that can get pulled together from randomness in my house. We had wine study group this week so there is way too much Chardonnay in the fridge, and we hit a great sale on lobster a couple of months ago. It seemed as good a reason as any to make this dish, which sounds luxurious and is delicious but comes together in the the half an hour between arriving home from school and David heading off to class. Also, it contains absolutely no dairy but is still rich and luxurious. Nom nom.

Lobster Risotto 

(I wish I could remember where I found this recipe. Ah, Internet....) 

1/2 lb. lobster  meat

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 shallots, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
large pinch of saffron
1 quart stock (lobster if you have it, chicken if you don't)
salt and pepper 

2 cups Arborio rice

If your lobster is not cooked, pop it into a pot of the boiling stock, then chop it finely. Keep the stock warm.

Put the saffron into the wine.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they start to soften but do not brown.

Add the rice and garlic and stir to coat the rice with oil, about a minute. Add the chopped lobster meat, a big pinch of salt, and the wine/saffron mixture and stir to combine.

Add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until the liquid is absorbed. When the rice is done but still a little al dente, check the seasoning and add a little salt and pepper. Add some water if the rice is not quite done.

Mom's Crabby Cakes

Yeah, really, read that title any way you want.

Last week was rough. January has just been goddamn awful, and all the stress and grief and everything else caught up with me and I had a complete mofo of a cold. This, of course, calls for comfort food - not wimpy chicken soup, not as heavy as mac and cheese, not as much work as pastitsio (and if someone will make that for me, I will love you forever and ever). This calls for crab cakes, which I have not made in ages but fit the bill perfectly.

These are, admittedly, an absolute princess of a recipe. You have to use the expensive fresh crab, which requires a trip to a different store. You have to make them really small so they don't fall apart, which means it's 18 times as many little fussy patties that have to be shaped and coddled into the pan.

Still. Totally. Worth. It.

These are good cold, the next day, eaten standing up during a busy shift at work. They're delicious heated up in the toaster oven and plucked onto toast with a fried egg. Like grapeleaves, you can pop one into your mouth every time you pass the fridge - wait, who does that? Surely no-one in this house. They are utterly, fantastically good, and you will love them, and next time you're sick some dear person should make them for you.

Crab Cakes

From Shellfish by Michele Scicolone. (This is only recipe I've ever made from this cookbook and it has been well worth the purchase price; it's also one of the cookbooks I've had the longest, so I can't imagine why I haven't made more recipes from it. I was delighted to see that she has many more cookbooks, according to Amazon.)

1/2 lb. fresh crabmeat (under NO circumstances can you use anything canned - get the real deal)
2 1/2 cups (or more) fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced onion
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard

Vegetable oil for frying (if you're doing dairy, use half butter and half oil)

In a bowl, mix the crab, 1 cup of bread crumbs, and all the remaining ingredients. Divide this mixture into 8-10 fussy little patties, making sure you flatten them, and coat with the rest of the bread crumbs.

Put the crab cakes on a rack and let them rest for at least an hour. This helps them hold together better - you really don't want to skip it.

Heat the oil (and butter, if you're using it) in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the crab cakes until lightly browned on both sides, 6-8 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce and/or lemon wedges (and Tater Tots. OMG. Comfort food.)