Recipe - Lobster In Tomato Sauce With Saffron Rice

2 Lobsters (about 2 lbs each)
(live, or recently dead)
25 Saffron strands; soaked in
One fourth cup Hot water
One fourth pound Finely chopped onion
1 md Leek; washed, finely chopped
8 tablespoon Fruity olive oil
3 Garlic cloves; minced
1 pound Tomatoes; skinned, seeded,
and finely chopped
4 Sundried tomatoes (in oil)
pounded to a paste
One half cup White wine
One fourth cup Orange juice
1 Bay leaf
Salt & freshly ground Pepper
One half cup Finely chopped Fennel
One half cup Minced flatleaf Parsley
1 tablespoon Finely chopped fresh Mint
Saffron Rice

If you have live lobsters, plunge them into a pan of boiling water for 1
minute, then into cold water.

To prepare the lobsters, break off the claws and crack them open with a
hammer. Cut off the tip of the tail (with the fins), then sever the tail
where it joins the head with a heavy knife. Cut the tail into rings,
slicing through the shell between the ribs.

Split the head open lengthwise with a hard blow of a knife and remove and
discard the gritty stomach sac. Pour the coral (if any) and the green
matter (which is the liver) into a stainer over a bowl, sprinkle with salt
and pepper, and reserve. Put the saffron to soak.

In a heavybottomed pan bigenough to contain the lobsters and sauce, fry
the onion and leek gently in 3 tablespoons olive oil until translucent. Add
the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and liquid, wine, orange juice,
and bay leaf. Season and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add the fennel, parsley, mint, saffron and liquid, and lobster tail pieces
and claws with their shells (but not the legs) and simmer, covered, for 10
minutes.

In the meantime push the coral and liver of the lobster through the
strainer and beat the purie with the remaining olive oil. When the lobster
has simmered for 10 minutes, ladle out about 1 cup sauce and beat this into
the coral purie. Pour this back into the pot, stir, and simmer for another
10 minutes. Serve with saffron rice.

Source: Recipes from a Greek Island by Susie Jacobs ISBN: 067174531X

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini