Ham-it-up Skillet was my culinary downfall as a kid. This one-pan dish, found in a Minute Rice recipe booklet, epitomizes the kind of cooking my mother attempted in the 1960’s. There was instant rice, condensed soup, cubed ham and colorful rounds of then-exotic pimento-stuffed Spanish olives. Even now, I want to leap from my desk and dance at the very thought of it.
Our city, with a constantly striving culinary scene, still knows how to embrace its classics. There’s steak Diane, with its sauce of brandy, cream and mustard, at RL Restaurant. Chicago Cut Steakhouse presents its Dover sole tableside. Shrimp de Jonghe, that invented-in-Chicago dish first served up over a century ago, can still be found on menus.
Which brings us to the artichokes topped with lobster tail and Mornay sauce at Sabatino’s.The unabashedly old-school appetizer originally was a special at the landmark Irving Park Road restaurant. Angelo Pagni, co-owner with his brother, Enzo, says customer demand earned it a permanent place on the menu.
Not surprising — it’s one of those dishes that instantly make you wonder why you never cook like that at home. Like most classics, it can and should be enjoyed as-is. Though when you’re the cook, there’s nothing wrong with a little respectful renovation, either. My beloved Ham-it-up Skillet took a delicious turn at the hands of Lisa Schumacher, one of the Tribune test kitchen cooks, who tossed out the cans and spiked it with Dijon mustard and dry vermouth.The renovation made me love it in a whole new light.
We’re taking a similar stance on lobster and mornay. Our recipe, inspired by Sabatino’s, lets you play around in the kitchen, tailoring ingredients and presentation to your style. Heck, throw on a parmesan crisp, if you must. Then again, you can also drive straight down Irving Park and enjoy the dish as the Pagni brothers intended, on the original spot. Either way, just make sure you clean your plate. After all, it’s a classic.
Twitter @billdaley
Lobster and artichoke with Mornay sauce
Artichoke bottoms
4 large artichokes
Juice of two lemons
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Lobster
1 one pound live lobster or two lobster tails, thawed if frozen
4 tablespoons salt
Mornay sauce
2 tablespoons each: butter; flour
1 small shallot, finely minced
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon finely minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Parmesan crisp (optional)
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Assembly
2 teaspoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1. For the artichokes: Combine 2 quarts of water with juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Remove the outer leaves and the inner choke from the artichokes. Trim the stems and the leaves so the artichokes sit flat. Immediately add to water-lemon mixture. Repeat with remaining artichokes. Bring artichokes to a simmer over medium heat; lower heat and cook until artichokes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove artichoke hearts from cooking liquid and cool to room temperature, discard cooking liquid. Refrigerate hearts until ready to use.
2. For the lobster: Bring 2 gallons of salted water to a boil over high heat in a large stockpot. If using live lobsters, kill them by plunging the tip of a large (knife facing away from the tail) into the lobster head and quickly slice through between the lobsters’ eyes. Place the lobster into salted boiling water, cover, and cook until lobsters are just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from water and while warm, separate lobster claws, twist and pull the tail to detach it from the body and snap off legs. Using kitchen shears or a nut cracker and, if needed, a lobster pick, remove meat from lobster. Chop tail meat into quarters, keep claw meat whole, chop knuckle meat into large pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use. For lobster tails, place in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes or until the shells are bright red. When done, remove from shells and divide each into four pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. For the Mornay sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and minced shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken, turns a light golden brown and smells fragrant, about 8 minutes. Whisk 2 cups milk into flour mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens considerably, about 15 minutes. Be careful to stir from the bottom of the saucepan to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Stir in the grated cheese, 2 teaspoons sherry, 1 teaspoon minced parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Combine until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Keep warm.
4: For Parmesan crisp (optional): Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-inch diameter cookie cutter as a guide, fill cookie cutter with 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmesan cheese, spreading evenly on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cheese. Bake in a 350- degree oven until cheese just begins to turn light brown at the edges and has melted. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cheese will become crisp as it cools.
5: To assemble: Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, add artichoke hearts, cook, covered, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lobster meat and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring gently but frequently, just until lobster meat is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Place warmed artichoke bottoms on a plate, divide warmed lobster meat between artichoke bottoms, spoon 2 tablespoons of Mornay sauce onto each plate. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and optional Parmesan crisp
