On a couple of levels this recipe is a perfect fit. First, consider what follows as a variation to the literary tale of Mr. Jack Sprat and his Missus. But neither fat nor lean need detain us in telling the story that unfolds. This story involves the consumption of lobster, and more specifically, the preferential parts of a cooked lobster for the eating. Sandy, you see, can think of nothing better than to detach the tail and claws & put them to the side in order to focus her activity on the remaining carapace & little feelers… which she proceeds to dismantle, pick, crunch, smash & chew her way thru with a medieval relish. It’s not as if she wouldn’t eventually turn her attention to the claws and tail. But why suffer the distraction? Particularly if she can consign those parts to some other party?
This is where I come in. Although I am well trained in eating a complete lobster, I prefer to direct full enthusiasm to scarfing down the tail and claws, leaving the rest to a desultory post script. I think you see where this going. Years ago we, that is Sandy & me, settled into a beautiful accord: the Pact of 71 Woodbury Hill, wherein I trade my carapace and feelers for Sandy’s tail and claws. Each of us sees this as hitting the “lobster lottery.” Quod erat demonstrandum… a perfect fit.
And so it remained for many years. Sadly, of recent, I have not been upholding my end of the bargain. Gone are the days when I could without blush, polish off the two tails, four claws… and an andouille sausage, an ear of corn, a small red potato, a good portion of clams and maybe a chicken thigh (all part of our steamed in beer clam bake & washed down with a bottle of a crisp white wine). Now? I’m lucky if I can finish off one tail, two claws, a side of slaw and a glass of Muscadet. Sandy? She continues to render her two lobster bodies into rubble… her finished plate is a scene reminiscent of what Berlin looked like in April 1945.
I have come to terms with my diminished capacity for chowing down. But it does leave an unresolved matter of what to do with the surplus tail and claws? Having been nurtured on fresh hot buttered lobster rolls from Jimmies of Savin Rock, I consider cold lobster salad as a supremely inappropriate use of leftover tails and claws. Cue the recipe for “Lobster Cacio e Pepe”! It’s an enhanced version of a classic pepper and cheese pasta dish that uses, wait for it, lobster tail and claw meat! Further, this recipe is designed “for two”! Yes! The dots are connected! Another perfect fit!
For wine I have selected Bourgogne Blanc from a small Domaine in Chassagne-Montrachet. The wine has a perfect depth of flavor that pairs superbly with the pepper and cheese in the pasta, yet without overpowering the supple lobster meat. The wine angels in heaven are smiling.
Domaine
Paul Pillot Bourgogne Blanc ’18 (Burgundy, France)
Domaine Paul Pillot, today one of the finest
addresses in the Côte de Beaune, has been directed since 2004 by the young and
dynamic Thierry Pillot. The Domaines wines are characterful, elegantly textural
and mouthwateringly incisive. The
Bourgogne Blanc is sourced from Villages vineyards in Chassagne (60%) and
Remigny (40%), and therefore must be classified as Bourgogne. But there is nothing “ordinary” in the
finished wine. Fermented and aged in
350L barrels (10% new) for 12 months + 6 months in tank before bottling. The 2018 hits all the quality notes: elegant,
finesse driven with surprising complexity for a Bourgogne. Pale in hue, the wine
has an inviting scent of freshness that leads to a palate that has a soft
complexity of light hazelnuts and lemon rind.
A clean dry finish that is kissed with a subtle wet stone minerality. An excellent value in this Domaine’s terrific
portfolio.
LOBSTER CACIO e PEPE
Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
½ lb of uncooked spaghetti
1 ½ cups of lobster meat, cut into chunks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 ½ oz pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about a ½ cup, plus 2 tbsp)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher,
fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you
for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for
creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of
admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords,
place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food
prep, and the cooking!
2. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the box. Put lobster chunks into the base of a colander.
3. Drain cooked spaghetti over the lobster in the colander, reserving a ¼ cup of cooking water.
4. Melt butter in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add cheese, pepper,
salt and the ¼ cup of cooking water, stir, mixing well & cheese melted. Add the spaghetti and lobster to the
skillet. Mix to coat the spaghetti.
5. Serve and garnish with tarragon.
n.b. The recipe also suggested that more cooking water (and additional ¼ cup) could be added to create a “creamier” sauce, although I like it the way it is. As you can well see, this is a very simple recipe, and I have to believe that it is scalable to accommodate more people sitting at the table.