Grilled Lobster Tail with White Wine Risotto

This Father's Day, turn your meal into a super special gourmet dinner with these

delectable and flavorful grilled lobster tails, served with a creamy and buttery white wine risotto

He deserves it!

Lobster tails from LobsterAnywhere.com - Thank you  so much Lobster Anywhere for the amazing products :)

With Father's Day less then a week away, I know you have been wondering how to impress your dad (or your husband) with something special. Here is the perfect recipe that will show him how much you love him.
Cooking lobster tails is fast and quite simple. There are several (all very easy) methods to cook lobsters: boiling, steaming, broiling or grilling. I chose grilling, because I think it brings out the delicate flavor of the seafood. And there's really nothing better than grilled lobster on a sunny summer day, with a fine glass of chilled white wine :)
No matter how you choose to cook your lobster, here is the secret not to ruin this scrumptious seafood: do NOT overcook it. You need to keep a close look at the cooking time, based on size of your lobster. You don't want to leave it on the grill or in boiling water for too long, because (just like steak) it will turn chewy and rubbery. A big no-no.
So, just in case you didn't hear me the first time: do NOT OVERCOOK your lobster!!! You can always cook it a little longer later if necessary... but you can't turn back time :)

Here is the cooking time suggestion that I followed, from LobsterAnywhere.com:
6-8 minutes for a 6-7 oz (170-200 gr) lobster tail
8-10 minutes for 8-10 oz (225-280 gr) lobster tail
10-12 minutes for 16-20 oz (450-560 gr) lobster tail

Lobster Anywhere is where I got my lobster tails. This company offers overnight delivery of live or frozen, top quality lobsters from Maine, among other delicious seafood and products.
Their service is amazing: I got an email confirmation of the delivery, and the food arrived when expected, in a perfect package. All the directions that I needed on how to better handle the seafood, was right on top of the box. And what's amazing, the seafood was perfectly frozen ...  much better than a drive home from my grocery store three miles away, in this California warm weather.
To defrost, I placed my lobster tails in a bowl in the refrigerator, overnight. Once thawed, the only thing that I needed to do, was rinse them under running water. So easy and oh-so delicious.
You should check  out www.LobsterAnywhere.com

And here is the video of my recipe:

Ingredients: serving 2

• 2 extra large lobster tails (about 10 oz), fully defrosted
• 4 tablespoons (55 gr) of butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• parsley
• salt

For the risotto:

• one onion, chopped
• one tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter (divided)
• 1 cup (180 gr) of arborio rice
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dry white wine

Preparation time: about 45  minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat the grill at medium-high temperature while you prepare the risotto.
In a saucepan, saute' the chopped onion with one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the onion is softer and translucent. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the rice into the pan, and mix. Cook for about one minute.  Add the white wine to the rice, and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes, until most of the alcohol has evaporated. Salt to taste (about one teaspoon of salt should work)

3. Add 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring every few minutes. Add more water (half cup at a time) when necessary. The risotto should be fully cooked in about 20 minutes. When the rice is cooked al dente, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, mix and cover the pan and remove from the stove. Wait a couple of minutes, or until the lobster tails are ready.

4. While the rice cook, prepare the lobster tails. Don't forget to stir and add water to the risotto!
In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic crushed or minced (for a more garlicky flavor). It should take about one minute over medium heat.

5. Wash the fully defrosted lobster tail under water. Using scissor, cut the lobster tail top shell, lengthwise, down the middle. Gently pry the meat off the shells, and lay it on top of it. Help yourself with a fork if necessary.

6. Brush the lobster meat with some of the garlic infused butter over the lobster meat and season with salt. Place the lobster tails meat side up on the grill. Cover and grill for about 8-10 minutes at about 400 degrees F. You don't need to open and do anything until the end of the 8 minutes.
Do not overcook or the lobster meat will become rubbery. The lobster is ready when the shell turns red, and the meat is opaque in color and firm to the touch. Brush with more melted butter.

7. Serve on a plate with the rice on the side. Sprinkle all with freshly chopped Italian parsley.

Enjoy :)

Risotto with Cuttlefish

Satisfy your craving for a delicious Italian primo piatto with this rich cuttlefish risotto

I have not prepared a risotto in quite some time. And with this chilly and rainy day tonight I really felt  in the mood for a deliciously tasty, rich and creamy seafood risotto with cuttlefish. It's easy, quick and a great one-dish family dinner.
Cuttlefish is a mollusk, similar to squid and octopi in taste and texture, not as common here in California, as in Italy. I bought mine frozen at the local fish market. Cuttlefish ink is used in many Italian dishes, like risotto al nero di seppia or also black seafood pasta. Both really delicious!
Tonight I did not have any ink to make my risotto black. But as soon as I find and buy some, I will post a recipe.

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1 lb (450 gr) of clean cuttlefish
• 2 tablespoons of extra olive oil
• half onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• half cup of white wine
• 1 and half cups of fish stock (or vegetable) or water
• 1 tablespoon of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: In a large sauce pan, saute' the garlic and chopped onion in the olive oil.

Step 2: As soon as the onion are softer and slightly golden, add the cuttlefish cut in pieces. Salt to taste, and cook for 10 minutes or so.

Step 3: Stir in the wine, and after one minute add the rice. Let cook for a couple of minutes and add some stock or water.

Step 4: Cook the risotto, stirring every few minutes, and adding water or more stock when necessary. The risotto should be ready in about 15-18 minutes.

Add the parsley and serve immediately.

Risotto with Broccoli and Sausage

Dinner inspiration: ravishing and flavorful, creamy risotto with sausage and broccoli

This morning I finally (!!) had the time to go to Trader Joe's for my grocery shopping. My favorite location in West Los Angeles is the "new" store on Olympic. It's great! It has everything you need. It's big enough to go around accident-free with a cart. And the parking lot on top of the building is actually huge! The only problem is, whoever designed that rooftop space, was clearly not thinking that people would be moving around with heavy carts. It's sloped and quite dangerous. No matter where you park, your car is not on a flat surface!
So picture this: I open the trunk of my SUV, a soccer AND a basketball roll out in the middle of the lot. With my uncanny reflexes I quickly grab both balls ... letting go of my super full cart... which slowly rolls away from my car, in the middle of the parking lot, and extremely close to another parked car. With an unbelievably graceful jump I stop it with my foot before it crushes. Oh yes! Can you imagine it?!?
Now, I really want to know: whose mind is behind this parking lot?
I am positive this has happened before! Friends from LA, anybody else?!?
Going back to my groceries, I picked up sausages and broccoli - I love the TJ's bag of organic florets. So convenient! And here is what I made for dinner:


Ingredients: serving 4                                         Printable Recipe

• 6 oz of organic broccoli florets
• 2 sausages 
• half onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• half cup of fontina cheese, shredded
• half cup of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 peperoncino (hot pepper) - optional (if sausage is mild)
• salt to taste
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Saute' the chopped onion in the olive oil for about 3 minutes, until lightly golden.

Step 2: Stir in the sausages cut in pieces and without casing. Saute' for a few minutes breaking the sausage in smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.

Step 3: When the sausage is brownish, add the rice and the broccoli, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir.

Step 4: Add one cup of stock, and cook the rice, stirring occasionally and adding more stock (and/or water) if needed. The rice should be fully cooked in 18-20 minutes. Adjust with salt if needed.  It should be not too dry and not too runny at the end... just perfect :)

Step 5: When the rice is cooked al dente,  add the fontina, the Parmesan cheese and the butter. Mix well, cover the pot and let rest for 3-4 minutes. Your risotto will now be rich and creamy!

Serve immediately. Buon appetito!!

Risotto with Speck, Porcini and Taleggio Cheese

Deliciously creamy risotto, with an amazing combination of Italian ingredients cooked in red wine!

Today was the end of my giveaway! And the lucky winner of a new set of silicone baking mats from Kitchen Executive Chef is:

Allison C.

Congratulation Allison on your win! I will shortly contact you by email.
Thank you all for your entries, and a special thank you to Kitchen Executive Chef for the generous gift!!

And for tonight, no cooking for me :-)
My mother-in-law has been visiting from Italy, and today is her turn in the kitchen. She suggested this deliciously yummy risotto for dinner. So all I'm doing is sit back and relax! Well, not quite. I do need to write down the recipe, which I've never prepared before, and take lots of picture for this post. I definitely want to share with you this super tasty risotto!

Speck, porcini  mushrooms and taleggio cheese are common ingredients in Italy. You would find them in any grocery store. Here, not so much. So in order to prepare this dish, you may have to search around a bit. But I promise: when you taste it, this risotto will be well worth your time and effort!
If you live in the Los Angeles area, you can find dried porcini mushrooms and speck, which is a smoked type of prosciutto, at Guidi Marcello, Ltd. (1649 10th street in Santa Monica). Here is an interesting article about the store.
Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica also sells dried porcini and taleggio cheese. Don't forget to buy the arborio rice for the risotto! And while you are there, make sure to try their bread. Freshly baked, still warm and always delicious!!


Note: I recently added a printable version of my recipes (see right under here!) which only has the ingredients and step-by-step directions. No pictures, and no extra blah blah blah. :-)

Ingredients: serving 4                                                             Printable recipe

• half onion, finely chopped
• 5 oz of speck, cut in small cubes
• 0.5 oz of dried porcini mushrooms
• 0.5 lb of Taleggio cheese (or Robiola cheese)
• 1 cup of red wine
• 1.5 cups of Arborio rice
• 2 cups of vegetable stock (or water if you don't have any)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in warm water for 10 minutes or until you are ready to use them.

Step 2: In a large skillet, saute' the chopped onion in the olive oil for a few minutes.

Step 3: Stir in the rice, and after a minute add the red wine. Cook for about 7 minutes, adding stock (or water) when necessary.

Step 4: Add the porcini mushrooms, drained and cut in pieces. Cook for 5 more minutes, adding more stock or water when the rice is dry.

Step 5: Add the speck cut in cubes and cook the risotto until ready al dente, should be an additional 5 minutes or so. Adjust with salt if necessary.

Step 6: At this point, stir in the taleggio cheese. Mix well and let the risotto sit off the stove for a couple of minutes, before serving.

Buon Appetito!

Risotto with Smoked Salmon and Zucchini

Here is an easy way to make dinner: with a perfect combination of flavors in this one-dish entree'

Today I want to share with you a secret. Actually, a secret and the recipe for the risotto with salmon and zucchini I made last night.
Since I started this blog only a few months ago, many of my friends have been questioning my eating habits. The question I heard the most is, how can I be eating all this pasta, cookies, and cakes and be so skinny?!? Well, I do eat everything I cook and bake. And I love pasta, and make it for dinner at least 3-4 times per week, or more?! And I definitely have a sweet tooth... I cannot resist a good dessert: a crumbly slice of apple tart next to a deliciously creamy ice-cream, a bigne' filled with perfectly sweet patisserie cream, a spoonful of to-die-for tiramisu... I  think I should really stop here, my list is very long!!
So, what is my secret?!? Unfortunately I don't have a miracle pill or a magic trick that makes me burn off fat! But here are a few things that I do:
I exercise regularly and I really enjoy the work out I do. I love to be outdoor and I love the beach. So, right now that the kids are not in school, I run/jog for 30-40 minutes down to the beach, about 4 times a week. While during the school year, I play tennis twice per week, beach volleyball once per week, and I run or hike when I have the time. So one secret (not so secret really!) is to find a work out that is fun for you and do it as often as you can!
The second thing I try is to limit my portions. For example, the plate of risotto in the picture above... that would be a little too much for me! What I eat is probably 2/3 of that food! Followed by lots of veggies or fruits.
Last but not least: I think it's extremely important to eat homemade and balanced meals made from fresh and healthy ingredients.  And as I said many times, it doesn't take long to cook a healthy meal from scratch, even with a busy schedule. The risotto I made last night only took about 30 minutes to prepare. And it's an easy entree that combines rice, with salmon and zucchini! An simple way to include fish and veggies in one dish!  My kids absolutely loved it :-)


Ingredients: serving 4

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 zucchini, cubed
• 4 oz of smoked salmon
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 2 cups of stock (fish or vegetable)
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Saute' the onion for a couple of minutes in a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 2: Add the zucchini cut in small cubes. Season lightly with salt. Saute'  for 4-5 minutes.

Step 3: Stir in the rice. Saute' for one minute before adding one cup of stock.

Step 4: Let the rice cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally and adding stock (or water) when needed. Add the smoked salmon cut in strips. And cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the rice is ready. Adjust with salt if necessary.

Step 5: When the rice is cooked al dente, add one tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of parsley. Stir well, cover the pan, remove from the flame and let sit for 3-4 minutes. This will make your risotto rich and creamy.

Serve immediately. Enjoy!