It was now-or-never time. The large bag of lobster broth (from our New Year’s lobster macaroni and cheese feast) has been sitting in the freezer almost a shade too long, what with this being spring and all. I could feel its rebuke every time I dug in there for a pound of butter or a bag of lúcuma pulp.

Lobster bisque seemed a little too fancy. Actually lobster anything seemed a bit much for a weeknight. Then I remembered a mythical risotto I had once in Brasília, the absolute highlight of what turned out to be a ludicrously disastrous work trip. Hot, spicy and multiple shades of red, the risotto came out of the kitchen steaming and laden with fresh shrimp and lobster. It seared the top of my mouth as I tucked in.

Of course I cannot remember the place where I ate. Nor did I ask for the recipe. So I make no promises that what I pulled together is an exact copy of what enchanted me oh those many years ago. But it hit all the right notes:  fresh, spicy, smoky, with a hint of the vanilla bean that we used to cook the lobsters back in January. Two good memories wrapped into one dish.