SPICY LOBSTER PASTA W/ NDUJA AND ARUGULA
You know the saying “Variety is the spice of life”? We try and apply that as much as we can in our kitchen. Even though we have some favourite recipes that we return to again and again, the last thing we want to do is get stuck in some kind of gastronomic rut. If variety is the spice of life, then monotony is definitely its killer. But sometimes it can be hard to find inspiration. Sometimes, you just don’t know what you feel like eating or making. And while the internet can be helpful, it can also add to the problem by providing too many options. Lucky for me, The Roommate is a serial and indiscriminate shopper. And while he has extremely selective taste, browsing through (and purchasing from) both thrift shops and a Louis Vuitton store are truly equally enjoyable to him. That being said, he is also the ultimate bargain hunter, so it has become almost routine for him to come home with an armful of…interesting books from secondhand/consignment shops. A lot of the time, they’re cookbooks. Cookbooks entitled “Heritage Microwave Cooking” (please explain), “Flowers and Feasts (the photos have helpful suggestions for pairing certain flower arrangements with your meal), and multiple others that make me wonder why people 50 years ago had so many dishes made with fish or meat paste in log form.
Anyway, not all the cookbooks he bought were for a nostalgic laugh. Some of the more recent publications had some pretty promising recipes in them, and so we set the challenge of trying at least one recipe from each of the cookbooks he brought home. For about $1-2 a book, we’d at least get good value out of it. One such book was dedicated entirely to pasta, and while scanning through the recipes, the word “nduja” caught my eye. I LOVE nduja. We get our supply from an amazing local Italian deli down the road, Tutto Delicatessen. The incredibly spicy, creamy-like texture of what is essentially spreadable salami or pork is a staple at home, and even has a dedicated spot in our fridge. I love it. It’s highly addictive and always reminds you the next day that you’ve had it, if you get my drift. So of course, I had to take a closer look at this recipe.
The author used squid as the protein in her pasta, and I didn’t feel confident that I’d be able to get fresh, good quality squid in a landlocked town. What I did conveniently have, however, was a whole cooked lobster in the fridge that was given to us the day before. I also love lobster. And I love butter. But there is still only so many times you can eat lobster dunked in hot garlicky butter before it gets…well, monotonous. And I don’t think any reasonable person would object to replacing squid with lobster. The use of arugula in the recipe was also intriguing - I’ve always eaten it raw in salads, but never cooked, and figured it’s pepperiness would be a nice complement to something heavy like lobster. Also, a handy way to use up some of the arugula from our veggie garden, which, like almost everything else in there, was growing out of control.
Of course garlic.
Another perk of this recipe? SO EASY. Especially when the lobster is already cooked. I mean, look at the method. 3 steps. Prep is minimal, and the most time-consuming part is literally waiting for the pasta to cook. Lazy lady farmer approves of anything that’s delicious and ready under 20 minutes. I must warn you though, nduja is SPICY. So if your heat tolerance is on the lower side, start with 1 tbsp of the stuff; you can always add more as you go.
So, if you’re feeling indulgent and want to splurge on some lobster (highly advise to do it now, Australians, while lobster prices are low) but also want to try something different, give this pasta a go, and spice up your life big time.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cooked whole lobster, meat cut up into small chunks
2 cups arugula/rocket
1-2 tbsp nduja (or 2 Thai bird’s eye chilis, minced, to substitute)
1 bulb garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
500g noodle-y pasta, i.e. linguine, fettucine, spaghetti, bucatini
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add a generous pinch of salt. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic (and chilis if using) and cook for 1 minute until slightly golden. Toss in the lobster, arugula and nduja, and stir until the nduja has become creamy and coated the lobster, and the arugula has wilted. Turn down heat to low.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving a little bit of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet and give everything a toss until mixed well. Serve immediately with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.