We love this recipe. It’s a Marcella Hazan classic dish, with roots in Friuli, a beautiful Italian region that just doesn’t get talked about enough. We are publishing this recipe on the GustiBlog in honor of the International Culinary Center’s newly created Hazan Scholarship. Victor Hazan and the ICC have chosen Marcella’s “Pasta alla Busara” as a recipe to celebrate the new scholarship. In addition, Gustiamo has created a “Marcella’s Favorites” gift basket, which includes this wonderful recipe
Ingredients
SERVES: 4-6
TIME: 45 minutes
- Lobsters, two live 1 1/4-pound
- EVOO, 1/3 cup, plus more for finish
- Onions, 2 cups, chopped
- Sea salt
- Garlic, 3 tablespoons, chopped
- Parsley, 1/3 cup, chopped
- Dry white wine, 1/2 cup
- San Marzano Tomatoes, 1 can (400 grams / 14.1 oz) with their juice
- Chili pepper, 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste
- Spaghetti, 1 bag (500 grams / 1.1 lb)
Preparation
1. Detach the lobster’s head from the tail. Using poultry shears or a sharp knife, slit the underside of the tail’s shell all along its length, then cut the tail into three pieces. Separate both claws from the head and snap them in two. Crack the claws in several places using a nutcracker or a mallet. Look for and pick out any pieces of shell. Divide the head lengthwise into two pieces. Do not remove any tomalley or roe.
2. Choose a skillet or saute pan that can later contain all the lobster pieces without overlapping. Put in the one-third cup of olive oil, the chopped onion, and a pinch of salt, and turn on the heat to medium.
3. Cook the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the garlic. Cook a few seconds until the garlic becomes colored a very pale gold and you begin to notice its aroma. Add the parsley, stir once or twice, and then add the wine, letting it simmer for a couple of minutes until the scent of alcohol subsides.
4. Put in the tomato, the chili pepper, and a generous pinch of salt and cook at a steady simmer, until the fat begins to separate from the sauce, about 15 or 20 minutes.
5. Drop the pasta into a pot of boiling, salted water.
6. Put the lobster pieces in the skillet with another pinch of salt, turning them over in the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes. If by then the lobster has shed some watery liquid, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon, and briskly boil away that liquid. Then return the lobster to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, turning all the pieces over once or twice.
7. Drain the spaghetti when it is still quite firm to the bite, transfer to a very warm serving bowl, pour the contents of the skillet into the bowl, and toss thoroughly. Drizzle in some raw olive oil, toss again until the pasta is well coated, then serve at once.