Cooking with a Veteran

This is a great surprise one-pot-dish for people who love mac and cheese. I love to cook this in a coated cast iron so I can go from stovetop to oven. I start by cooking the lobster and pasta, or if I get fresh pasta from the market, I just let it sit in a bowl for 30 minutes. For lobster, if it is imitation, I just let it thaw for 30 minutes with a little lime and salt. If you are cooking the lobster (don’t overcook so it dries out) and pasta (al dente as you will cook it more in the cheese), let it cool off while you prep your other ingredients. I take the three strips of bacon—more if you want a nice bacon crust—cut to small pieces, and fry them up. Drain the pan, but leave a little residue in the bottom to carry the bacon flavor in your dish.

In the same pan, fry up the onion, mixed peppers and garlic; usually I say sauté, but put a little char on them to also add to that smoked flavor. Lower the flame, take half of the fried onions and peppers, along with half the seasoning and mix with the lobster. Once my lobster, pasta and bacon are ready, I am going to prepare my cheese sauce. Add the heavy cream in the pan and two small spoons of flour and bring to an almost boil before adding the cheese. Add the shredded cheese: if it is too thin, you can add more cheese; if too thick, add more heavy cream.

On a low simmer for five minutes, add the pasta to the cheese. Add the rest of your seasoning and mix around. Add your lobster and mix. Let simmer for five minutes on low, top with bacon, shredded parmesan, and green onion, place in oven for 15 minutes until the top is browned. Let sit for five minutes, and serve.