Like many fishing families, we enjoy our share of Maine lobster every summer. My husband has five “recreational” traps, which usually keeps us in good supply for visiting family and friends. So when we invited our neighbors up for supper, I was quite certain that a boiled lobster dinner was on the menu.
As fate would have it, Captain Flip’s traps only yielded 2 lobsters, the makings of a rather meager repast.
In my style of farm-to-table cooking, the shortage of one ingredient often encourages creativity. The last of this summer’s garden fresh shelling peas and a bounty of foraged chanterelle mushrooms became the inspiration for the recipe of Pasta with Maine Lobster & Wild Mushrooms.
I cooked the 2 lobsters and picked the meat, which yielded about 8 ounces. The shells and carcass promptly went into a stockpot, covered with water and a few onion skins and garlic scapes, and boiled. Once this mixture had cooked for 15 minutes or so, I drained the broth, and continued to simmer it down until it was a very concentrated stock, about 1 cup.
The success of the preparation of this dish depends upon the French term, “mise en place”, or having all the ingredients prepped and ready before the final cooking stage. Once the pasta starts cooking, sauté the mushrooms in butter until “they give up their water”. When you see the dry mushrooms start to become watery, add the lobster stock and cook until almost completely evaporated. Meanwhile, gently heat the chopped lobster in some butter and prepare the serving platter. When the pasta is cooked, it takes no time to finish assembly and bring Pasta with Maine Lobster & Wild Mushrooms to the table.
Our friends enjoyed this dish so much, they asked for the recipe. So Andy and Sue, this lobster is for you! Enjoy!
Pasta with Maine Lobster & Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 6 ounces fresh or high-quality dry pasta we like Bow Tie shape
- 9 ounces mushrooms about 2 cups chopped
- 8 ounces cooked Maine lobster meat cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup cubed zucchini or summer squash optional
- 2 garlic scapes or 1 chopped garlic clover
- ½ cup lobster stock
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 ounces about 1 cup, grated cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago, Romano
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil
- Sea salt and fresh pepper
- 3 ripe tomatoes sliced for garnish
- Edible flowers and herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Place a large pot of salted water on the heat to boil.
- Chop the lobster into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Chop the garlic scapes or fresh garlic and set aside. Finely chop the mushrooms.
- Slice the tomatoes and line a serving platter. Chop the parsley or fresh basil. Prepare the edible flowers and other garnishes.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta, and continue to cook until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the dish.
- In a medium saucepan, sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter until they give up their water. Add the chopped garlic scapes and the lobster stock. Simmer the mixture until the liquid is almost evaporated.
- Add the remaining butter to a small pan and gently heat the chopped lobster.
- When the pasta has cooked, drain and pour into a large bowl. Immediately toss the pasta with peas, summer squash and cheese.
- Stir in the sautéed mushrooms and warm lobster, adding just enough heavy cream to make a nice sauce. Toss with the fresh herbs.
- Arrange the pasta mixture on the prepared platter. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper and top with chopped fresh herbs.
