Cheeky little bugger, isn’t he? I got him at Citarella for a little over $28.

Amazing how much meat there is out of a 2 lb. lobster. 3/4 went into dinner last night with the remainder into this morning’s breakfast.

Thin spaghetti with lobster, heirloom tomato and rocambole garlic

good quality olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove rocambole garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup fresh cooked lobster meat, chopped
salt and black pepper, to taste
cooked, drained spaghetti
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Gently warm olive oil over low heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion becomes golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add half of the tomatoes to the pan, lobster and white wine. Taste for salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes, or until tomatoes are warmed through. If the tomatoes begin to break down, you’ve gone on for too long. Remove from heat, add spaghetti to the skillet. Toss. Taste for salt and pepper once more, stir in parsley and red pepper flakes (if using), plate and serve at once.

Time: 30 minutes. Does not include prep from cooking the lobster.

* * *

Peperonata is a Mediterranean dish composed of stewed peppers, tomatoes and onions. There are innumerable variations but I prefer mine as close to plain as possible. That means, no additions like balsamic vinegar and olives. This dish is packed with flavor that you don’t really need anything that would otherwise distract your taste buds, in my opinion. This is wonderful with omelettes, with pasta, as an accompaniment to roasted fish, or served with goat cheese spread on a baguette.

2 red bell peppers, seeded, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 Hungarian wax pepper, seeded, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves rocambole garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup Sungold cherry tomatoes (or other type of grape or cherry tomatoes), halved
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme, and cook over low heat, stirring frequently until the onion softens and becomes golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Add the peppers, a pinch of salt and raise the heat to high.

Cook until the peppers soften, then add the tomatoes and reduce heat to medium. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes wilt slightly and release their juices, about 3 to 4 minutes. Check seasoning and use as needed.

Peperonata is wonderful served warm or hot. If left alone in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight, it transforms into a luscious condiment, as the flavors develop marvelously into something extraordinary.

Scrambled eggs with lobster, ricotta cheese and heirloom tomato, served with peperonata

4 eggs
1 tablespoon cow’s milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh lobster meat
1 small heirloom tomato, chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Whisk eggs and ricotta cheese together. Add lobster meat, heirloom tomatoes, shallot, and salt and pepper, and combine well. In a large, nonstick skillet melt unsalted butter over very low heat. Add egg mixture to pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until cooked to desired consistency. Serve at once.

Time: 30 minutes, including prep.

The spaghetti dish is my submission for Presto Pasta Nights #229, a weekly foodblog event currently hosted and organized by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.