Mad About Food: Recipe for romance

Lobster Wellington. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

The year 2023 has gotten off to a great start for me. I’m so excited to see what this new year will bring. It’s February already, so hold on to your hats, guys, this year might fly by faster than we think. In any event, let’s do our best to spread a lot of love along with positive energy.

February is a month of celebrations to be enjoyed by all. Some celebrate Black History Month and some Valentine’s Day. Others might celebrate World Cancer Day. Whatever your reason to celebrate, be sure to absorb the moment. In my opinion, no celebration is complete without food and drinks. I’m in a romantic mood for February, so I wanted to create something very special for my article this month.

I love Food Network and have been watching for nearly 20 years, so when I got stumped on what new and exciting recipe to create, I went straight to the Food Network’s website and found an elegant but simple recipe for Lobster Wellington. I’ve never tried Beef Wellington, but I got very excited to try my hand at the lobster version. In case you haven’t noticed yet, I love food.

Lobster Wellington is a flaky, buttery, sweet and zesty meal pocket that will surely please any seafood lover. With sweet lobster tail and claw meat, paired with zesty lemon, earthy mushrooms, and a flaky puff pastry crust, how can you go wrong? It is both fancy and humble at the same time. This is a beautiful aromatic dish that even the kids can enjoy.

I try to keep my recipes simple yet delicious so that your friends and family will be begging for more. I also like to keep them as versatile as possible because I want to encourage as many people as possible to be courageous and creative when it comes to the culinary arts. It truly is an art in my eyes.

This recipe is a lovely visually and delicious. You can take away or add almost any ingredients like with Beef Wellington. Seriously, this dish can go from savory to sweet. Rustic and elegant. It just depends on your creativity and desired taste.

I’m betting that no matter what you add or take away from this recipe, it will still be a crowd pleaser. I plan to make this a part of my Valentine’s Day dinner, and I hope you will try it soon as well.

Now let's roll up our sleeves, wash our hands and get started creating our very own version of Lobster Wellington.

Reach Michelle Madden at Da Munchie Plug LLC on Facebook.

Lobster Wellington. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Recipe

Lobster Wellington

Ingredients:

4 8 ounces lobster tails in the shell (thawed if frozen)

6 tablespoons butter

1 10 ounce-package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

Zest of 1/2 lemon (extra wedges for serving)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 4 ounce-package of sliced mushrooms (any variety)

2 teaspoons thyme

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from 17.3 ounce package, thawed)

1 large egg

4 wooden/steel skewers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside. In a small pot boil some water.

Put the lobster tails (and claws if you have them) in a large heat-safe bowl, pour the boiling water to cover and let sit until the shells just begin to turn orange, about 4 minutes.

Using your kitchen shears (or a knife but be careful) cut the shells and remove the meat. Insert a wooden skewer lengthwise through each tail so that the lobster tails stay flat and do not curl up while cooking. Set aside.

In a medium bowl melt 4 tablespoons butter, stir in spinach, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

In a small skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter on medium high heat. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper to taste then cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are soft and starting to turn brown, about 5 minutes

Roll each puff pastry sheet into an 11-inch square baking pan. Spread half the spinach on each sheet and spread half the mushrooms on top of that. Cut each sheet in half making 4 rectangles. Place a lobster tail at one end of each rectangle, parallel with the short side. Roll the pastry pieces around the lobster and transfer to the prepared baking sheet and then brush with the beaten egg.

Bake until deep golden brown approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skewers, slice widthwise into pieces and serve with lemon wedges.

Source: Adapted from Food Network