Question: Los Abrigados Resort & Spa in Sedona, Arizona, serves a unique and delicious lobster and shrimp dish with cilantro pasta. Perhaps the chef de cuisine will share the recipe. -- Lois Ayres, DetroitAnswer: Sedona, Ariz., represents the best Mother Nature has to offer. The community, situated in the high southwestern desert 110 miles south of the Grand Canyon, is notable for recreation, retirement possibilities, arts and spiritualism, and Los Abrigados Resort and Spa is a jewel in this red rock country.
As a destination resort and spa, Los Abrigados, offers myriad activities. Spa pampering soothes and rejuvenates stressed-out new arrivals, paving the way to fun.
A favorite order at Joey Bistro, the Los Abrigados eatery featuring the innovative southern Italian cuisine of Chef David Avery, is cilantro pasta with lobster & shrimp in balsamic cream. Purple and red provide the backdrop for the "Joe" paintings, which include DiMaggio, Louis and McCarthy as well as Mighty Joe Young, the gorilla, and Joey the Kangaroo.
CILANTRO PASTA WITH LOBSTER & SHRIMP IN BALSAMIC CREAM
Black bean corn salsa:
1 cup cooked black beans
2 ears cooked white corn kernels
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Pasta:
12 ounces cilantro pasta or linguine, fresh or store-bought
Balsamic cream:
4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Seafood:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 jumbo shrimp
4-6 lobster medallions (cut from the tail)
Black bean corn Salsa: in large non-reactive mixing bowl, combine black beans, white corn kernels, rice wine vinegar, cilantro, sugar and salt. Cover, refrigerate and let marinate up to 2 days.
Pasta: Place pasta in boiling water and cook al dente. Drain and set aside.
Pour cream in large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer cream to reduce by half. Add balsamic vinegar and Romano cheese and stir until well combined. Set aside.
Seafood: Place olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and lobster and cook 1-2 minutes or until firm in texture.
In large mixing bowl, combine salsa and pasta and toss together. Set aside.
Divide pasta between two serving plates. Add lobster and shrimp and ladle balsamic cream around the seafood. Yields 2 servings.
Diane Howard is a columnist for Hunt House. America a la Carte welcomes recipe requests. Send the complete address of the restaurant along with your name, address and phone number to: America a la Carte, P.O. Box 5994, Austin, TX 78763-5994, or fax 1-512-453-2145. E-mail amercarte@aol.com.