Cooking School: New York's Eataly

Linguini fra Diavolo with Lobster
"Fra Diavolo" indicates a spicy dish. While its roots are Italian, its origin is Italian-American, the delicious hybrid cuisine Italian immigrants created as they settled in the United States.

• 6 large frozen lobster tails
• All-purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 (35-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) seeded and crushed, with their liquid,
• 16 whole dried peperoncini or diavollilo hot red peppers, or 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian or Greek, dried on the branch, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 pound dried linguini

Thaw lobster tails. In 8-quart pot bring 6 quarts salted water to boil.

Cut lobster tails in half lengthwise. In heavy 12-inch skillet, heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium heat. Dredge meat side of tails lightly in flour. Add as many of them, cut side down, as will fit comfortably in skillet. Cook until lobster meat is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining lobster tails as necessary.

Press garlic cloves with side of knife. Place in 12-inch skillet; add olive oil. Cook, shaking skillet until garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Carefully pour in tomatoes; add peppers and dried oregano. Season lightly with salt. Bring to boil; adjust heat to lively simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Stir in fresh oregano and tuck lobster tails into sauce. Cook at lively simmer just until lobster meat is cooked through and juicy, about 5 minutes. Keep sauce and lobster warm over very low heat.

Meanwhile, prepare linguini according to package directions. Drain linguini; return to pot. Spoon liquid portion of lobster sauce over pasta, leaving just enough sauce behind in pot to keep lobster pieces moist. Bring sauce and pasta to boil, stirring gently to coat pasta with sauce. Check seasoning, adding salt if necessary.

Divide linguine among 6 pasta bowls. Top each with two lobster tail halves. Spoon some of remaining sauce remaining in pan over each serving. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.