Lobster Jjigae

The New Year's recipe of choice for South Gate's Kerry Heffernan is this warming seafood stew courtesy his wife, who is Korean.

Ingredients

4 1 & 1/4 lb. Lobsters
1 head savoy cabbage, veins removed and shredded
2 red peppers, julienned
2 leeks, white part only sliced and rinsed
8 oz. cabbage kimchi, (I prefer the very "ripe" kind), more if desired
40 oz. good chicken stock
8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4 scallions, sliced thinly
4 sprigs marjoram, leaves reserved
4 oz butter, cut into slices
8 oz Korean "sliced" rice cakes, soaked in cold water one hour

Instructions

Cook the lobsters for 12 minutes and let to cool. Remove and reserve bodies, crack and remove meat from claws and tail, and reserve.
In a 4 qt pot, sweat leeks and 1/2 garlic in 1 oz butter and lobster bodies and sweat 12 minutes.
Add savoy cabbage, peppers, kimchi, rice cakes and chicken stock.
Simmer for 20 minutes and remove bodies.
Add lobster meat and remaining garlic and scallions and simmer very gently 2-3 minutes until lobster is just cooked.
Add salt and additional kimchi if desired.
Add butter and marjoram, and fold in to gently combine.
(Published 2011)