Lobster Pionono Food

PIONONOS

Steps:

• For the picadillo: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, adobo, sazón and tomato sauce until combined. Season with salt and pepper and cook, continuing to break up the meat until it is browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Finally, add the cilantro and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• For the plantains: Pour 1 inch of oil into a large saute pan or deep large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Using a sharp knife, trim off both ends of a plantain. Slit a thin line down the plantain, cutting just through the skin, and peel back the skin to remove it. Repeat with the remaining plantains. Slice each plantain lengthwise into 5 to 6 strips.
• Fry the plantains 2 or 3 strips at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Line the sides of the muffin cups with the longer plantain strips, then use trimmed pieces to cover the bottoms of the muffin cups.
• Spoon the picadillo into the plantain-lined muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Top each with a spoonful of the beaten eggs to help them hold together.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges before removing the piononos from the muffin cups. Serve hot or warm.

LOBSTER WITH MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Fill a pan with lukewarm water and place over high heat. Place the lobster in the pan and cover. Once the water has come to the boil, cook the lobster for ten minutes or until it no longer has any blue hue and has turned a deep red-orange color. Remove the lobster from the pan and leave to cool.
• Once cool you can prepare the lobster in the traditional manner: with a sharp knife make an incision at the point where the head joins the body and cut down the length of the lobster towards the tail. Make sure that you have cut right the way through the body. Now turn the lobster 180 degrees and cut from the original incision back through the head. With you fingers gradually prise the shell apart so that it falls into two halves. Remove the front claws and set aside. With your index finger prise the meat out of the shell (trying to keep it in one piece, again working from the tail upwards. Replace the meat in the shell (this process makes it easier for your guests to keep their fingers clean) and repeat with the second half. Using a cleaver or hammer crack both sides of the claws. Remove the surrounding shell and extract the meat in a single piece. Arrange the two halves of lobster on a plate together with the claw meat and serve with mayonnaise, which you can make in the following way:
• Put eggs, mustard, pinch of salt, grinding of pepper and a small squeeze of lemon juice/vinegar in a basin and beat well with a wooden spoon, beater or whisk. Start adding the oil, drop by drop to begin with, stirring all the time. When the mixture starts to emulsify you may add more oil in steady dribblets but keep stirring until you get the required jelly-like substance, which is the consistency that proper mayonnaise should be. Finally test for more seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.

GARLIC-BLACK PEPPER LOBSTER WITH LEMON GRASS FRIED RICE

Steps:

• In a large, hot saute pan coated well with oil, saute the lobster. Add the garlic, scallions, and black pepper. Deglaze with wine and add chicken stock and fish sauce. Add butter and check for seasoning.
• Lemon grass fried rice: In a saucepan on high heat coated with oil, sweat the onions, garlic, ginger and lemon grass. Season. Add the rice and saute the rice for 3 to 5 minutes until hot. Add lemon juice and check for seasoning.
• PLATING On a large dinner plate, mold a mound of rice in the middle and top with lobster. Garnish with sliced scallions.
• WINE: Fruity Alsatian Riesling, not bone dry like Trimbach, Hugel. We used Gunderloch, Riesling

LOBSTER REUBENS

Steps:

• Make the slaw: Put the cabbage in a small bowl. Sprinkle the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and the celery seeds over the top and toss well. Let stand, tossing frequently, until the cabbage wilts, about 20 minutes.
• Make the sandwiches: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish and paprika. Add half of the dressing to the lobster meat and toss well to combine. Arrange the bread slices on a work surface and spread a little of the remaining dressing on each slice. Put a slice of cheese on each piece of bread; divide the lobster meat among 4 of the slices, then top each with one-quarter of the slaw. Invert the remaining cheese-covered bread slices onto each sandwich. Spread 1/2 tablespoon butter on the top of each sandwich.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl the pan to coat it. Arrange the sandwiches, butter-side up, in the pan and cook until the bottoms are golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook until the other sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 5 more minutes. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and let stand 1 minute before slicing on the diagonal and serving warm.
• To cook your own lobster, boil two 2 1/4-pound lobsters in a large pot of salted water, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat and simmer 8 more minutes. Drain and let cool; remove the meat.