Lord Byron, Lobster & Champagne

copyright 2010 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Lord Byron once said: “ A woman should not be seen eating and drinking unless it is lobster salad and champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands”
 (A plaque on a building in Italy where he lived for sometime)
Well we shall pardon him, for he was Lord Byron, after all…who was  inspired by Italy and lived here for some years while working on some of his mastepieces…a true romantic at heart.. Recently I have passed many of the very places he lived in and his writing has also inspired me…here is a lobster recipe (unfortunately not a salad). But you can serve this with champagne or a dry Prosecco.
Velvety Lobster & Fennel Soup

*2 celery sticks, chopped
*2 lbs fennel
*1 onion
*2 tblsps unsalted butter
*4 ounces steamed lobster meat
4 cups vegetable broth
*1/4 cup cream
*zest of 1 lime
*salt and pepper to taste
 Wash and finely chop celery, peel onion and dice. Chop ½ of the fennel, setting aside the green top part.
Place 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot, saute chopped fennel, onion and celery till golden brown. Place in broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
 Cut the rest of the fennel (except top green parts) into small stick like slices. Place in saute pan with 1 tblsp butter, saute for 4 minutes.
Place soup in food processor till it is a velvety, creamy mixture. Pour into  soup pot again  and add in cream. Simmer over low heat, stirring every so often.
Add lobster meat to sauteed fennel. Saute for 2-4 minutes over low heat. Add in lime zest and dash of salt and pepper to taste. Chop green part of fennel bulb and set aside.
Divide soup mixture into 4-6 soup bowls. Top with lobster meat mixture and sprinkle with chopped fennel greens.
Serve with dry Prosecco or dry Champagne.
 For more recipes get your copy of the book selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA
The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition