COOKING TIME – Lobster Dishes by Ed McFarland of ED'S LOBSTER BAR in Soho

We kick off our winter cooking series with two delicious lobster recipes by Chef Ed McFarland of Ed's Lobster Bar in the SoHo neighborhood of NYC and in Sag Harbor, NY. Check out his Lobster Mac N Cheese and Lobster Meatballs recipes. Gather your ingredients and start cooking. Stay tuned to Broadwayworld.com in the coming months for other terrific recipes by top chefs!

Ed McFarland's Lobster Mac N Cheese (Serves: 1)

Ingredients:

-8 oz. mac & cheese sauce

-½ lb. orecchiette dececco

-1 teaspoon breadcrumbs

-2 oz. chopped lobster meat

-1 whole claw

-Pinch of chopped chives

Directions:

1. Cook pasta for 10 minutes in salted boiling water

2. Toss pasta with cheese sauce and chopped lobster in saute pan

3. Place in bowl

4. Sprinkle breadcrumbs

5. Sprinkle chives

6. Place claw on top

Mac N Cheese Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

-12 oz. heavy cream

-12 oz. lobster stock

-14 oz. Velveeta

Directions:

1. Bring cream to a boil

2. Simmer

3. Whisk in cheese

4. Add in reduced lobster stock

5. Add salt to taste if desired

Lobster Meatballs (Serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

-2 loaves Italian bread

-1 ½ pounds cooked lobster, ground

-5 eggs

-1 tablespoon chopped garlic

-½ bunch chopped parsley

-1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish

-2 ¼ cups grated cheese

-Salt and pepper to taste

-8 cups marinara sauce

-Olive oil

Directions:

1. Remove crusts and soak the bread in water.

2. Place ground lobster, garlic, parsley, 2 c. cheese, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

3. Strain the bread using a colander and squeeze out any excess water. Break pieces of bread into bowl and mix together with other ingredients.

4. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then add eggs and mix.

5. On the stovetop, use a saucepan to heat marinara sauce on low.

6. Pour olive oil into a frying pan so that is halfway filled and cook on medium heat.

7. Gently form meatballs in your hands, making sure not to squeeze.

8. Fry meatballs until golden on both sides and place into the warm marinara sauce (see below for marinara recipe) for approximately 10 minutes.

9. Garnish meatballs with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve over linguini if desired.

Marinara Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients for marinara sauce:

-2 small cans of tomato sauce

-5 cloves of crushed garlic

-5 basil leaves

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-Pinch of red pepper flakes

-Salt and pepper to taste

-Sugar to taste

Directions for marinara sauce:

1. Lightly puree tomato sauce without crushing the seeds and set aside

2. Crush the garlic

3. Sweat garlic in pan on low heat with oil so it is soft but does not burn

4. Add red pepper flakes and basil and cook for 2-3 minutes over same low heat

5. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil

6. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste if desired

7. Simmer for 15 minutes

8. Set aside

Get to know Ed McFarland! McFarland, a New York City native, was born in June of 1973 to a family of food lovers. A keen appreciation of great food was passed down to him from the Italian side of his family. Ed's mother made every meal special by using a sprinkling of home-grown herbs, vegetables, and lots of love. The lessons Ed learned in the family kitchen were the building blocks of his future. These formative years were the perfect springboard for a future chef; Ed didn't choose his career path, it chose him!

Ed's passion for food led him to the esteemed French Culinary Institute. After graduating in 1995, Ed trained intensely to sharpen his culinary skills. Ed continued to hone his cooking skills under the tutelage of some of NYC's best chefs including, Sotha Kuhn at Le Cirque and Dave Pasternak at Terence Brennan's Picholine. As Ed perfected his cooking techniques, he was drawn to the delicate nature of seafood and thus chose his culinary path that led to an opportunity at the specialty seafood restaurant, Pearl Oyster Bar; a mainstay in the West Village. For over six years, he served as sous chef at Pearl Oyster Bar, preparing house recipes with his own personal touch. This training ground afforded him the opportunity to learn all he could about seafood and original New England style cuisine.

In 2007, Ed's vision of owning a restaurant became a reality and in March of that year, the doors to Ed's Lobster Bar opened on Lafayette Street in Soho. The restaurant, bearing his name, is the culmination of years of study and apprenticeship. Ed has created a truly unique spin on New England cuisine, using garden fresh produce, the highest quality traditional seafood and the same love and care that he learned from his mother's kitchen. In May of 2019, Ed expanded to the Hamptons where he opened a second Ed's Lobster Bar in Sag Harbor, NY.

Ed served as a judge on Beat Bobby Flay and was a regular on Toni On! New York, and has been featured on The Flay List, The TODAY Show, Fox and Friends, the Martha Stewart Show, as well as Food Feuds on the Food Network.

Ed's Lobster Bar is located at 222 Lafayette Street (just north of Canal Street), New York, NY 10012. They also have a location at 1742 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, New York, 11963. Visit their web site at https://www.lobsterbarnyc.com/. You can follow them on Instagram @edslobsterbar and follow Chef McFarland on Instagram @chefedmcfarland.

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