Sweet Corn & Lobster Risotto | Tomato & Arugula Salad
Last Sunday I told you about this wonderful, savory corn risotto we had recently enjoyed and shared my big plans for adding some out~of~the~ordinary lobster mushrooms that I had picked up at the SF Farmer’s Market {check them out here} to that same risotto this week. Well, I will spare you all of the ugly details, but, let me just say, those fungi {already on the short side of attractive on their best day} evolved into something scary by day three despite some expert advice. Now, I already had my heart set on chunks of bright red~orange “meat” brightening up our pale yellow risotto, so what is a girl supposed to do when the mushrooms {which, I had been told, carried a similar flavor to the ocean~dwelling crustaceans after which they were named} take a turn for the worse? I decided to throw “similar” to the birds and indulged in the original thing…one lovely, large Maine lobster.
A quick phone call to Richard at The Seafood Peddler made my dinner prep fairly easy tonight…this two pound beauty, from the waters off the coast of Maine, was steamed and cracked {ready for me within 15 minutes of my phone order…Thanks, Richard!}, the meat easily lifted from the shell when I arrived home…
Lobster meat set aside, I attended to the corn. Ears of fresh bi~color, sweet corn were husked and kernels roughly cut from their cobs. While the kernels are reserved, the cobs are submerged in a water bath, studded with peeled & smashed garlic cloves, and simmered for an hour to make a rich corn broth which will then be used to cook the risotto…
With the broth simmering on the stove, the risotto comes together with the addition of just a few other ingredients…a few shallots, some fresh thyme, a splash of white wine, reserved corn kernels and chopped lobster meat, as well as a few snipped chives from the garden for garnish…
The finished risotto is a one bowl wonder of summer flavors…sweet corn and rich lobster meat in a creamy, rice~studded, herb~flavored glaze…
- 6 cobs of sweet corn, raggedly stripped {kernels reserved}
- 6 cups water
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed & peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped shallots
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 6 cups Sweet Corn Broth {recipe here}, heated in a separate sauce pan
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano {optional}
- 1 cup reserved corn kernels (or more, to taste)
- 1 cup cooked & chopped lobster meat
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold and chopped into cubes
- Add water to a large sauce pot with a lid. Add the salt, smashed garlic, and corn cobs {make sure the cobs are covered by the water…add more liquid if necessary}.
- Bring the water to a boil and then immediately turn the burner to low, then cover and simmer for one hour.
- After simmering for an hour, discard the smashed garlic pieces. Discard the cobs, and do not strain the liquid. Keep it on a low simmer while you make the risotto.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they start to brown, stirring occasionally. Next, add the garlic and thyme leaves, stir to combine, and cook for one minute.
- Add the risotto to the saucepan and stir to combine. Continue cooking and stirring for two to three minutes, until the rice absorbs all the fat.
- Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Stir to pull up any shallot mixture goodness. Simmer until the rice starts to absorb the wine, two to three minutes.
- Using a ladle, add two ladlefuls of sweet corn broth to the rice mixture, stirring. Continue stirring until the rice absorbs most of the broth.
- Continue adding ladles of broth and stirring. One cup of rice should use approximately four cups of stock, sometimes more, sometimes less. After 20 minutes or more, the rice should start looking creamy. Stir and cook until the rice is al dente.
- Turn the heat off the pan. Add the cubed, cold butter and stir vigorously. Add the Parmesan and one cup of reserved corn kernels (or more to taste) and the cooked lobster meat . Stir to combine. Cover and let sit for at least five minutes before serving.
Accompanying this lovely risotto this evening…my favorite summer salad. Sliced tomatoes and a handful of fresh, peppery arugula topped with flaky sea salt, freshly ground pepper & a drizzle of olive oil…
