Seafood Risotto - lactose and gluten free

No heavy cream or milk needed!! This is a filling dish, bursting with protein. 

1 cup arborio rice 

1 live lobster 

6-8 scallops 

3 fresh squid (cleaned)

1 gallon water 

1/2 stick butter 

1/2 can chickpeas 

Salt and pepper 

So I use whole, live lobster for one reason: I want their shells to make myself some lobster stock. I take the lobster and cut it in half down the center. Place it on a cookie sheet with a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Broil the lobster until the meat is cooked - about 6-10 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. Remove the meat and place in the refrigerator for later. Make sure your meat is in bite size pieces. Take your shells and add them to about a gallon of water. Simmer the lobster shells for about 2 hours, in which time you should be left with about half a gallon of stock. 

Strain your stock and keep warm on the stove. Season your stock as though it was a soup, with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas to your stock and purée until smooth. Chickpeas have a lot of protein, and the starch in them make the dish appear more creamy, without ever having to use dairy. Place your rice in a pot and add 1 cup of stock. Stir your rice as you cook it, making sure it does not stick to the bottom of your pot. If it starts sticking, don't panic, just switch out your pot for a new one. When there is little liquid left add another cup of stock. Your ratio should be for every one cup of rice use about four cups of liquid. 

While the rice is cooking sauté your scallops in a separate pan. Make sure to salt and pepper the scallops before you cook them. Wait until it is golden on one side before flipping it over. When they are ready set aside. 

Take your squid and cut into thin circles. Squid cooks incredibly fast, so make sure you are all set to go before you add it to the rice. Toss the squid and butter(cubed) into the rice and stir continuously. After about a minute and a half toss in your lobster meat. Mix until everything is warm and serve. 

I like to keep the scallops separate because they tend to get chewy and tough if they are overcooked. They look more appealing when they are browned on each side, so keeping them separate is more beautiful as well. You can garnish with tarragon or parsley, or serve plain, as I have photographed. 

Serves about 3 people.