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1
Begin by building a fire of charcoal and fragrant woodsgrapevine cuttings, olive wood, oak, or applewood, for example.
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2
Bring the seawater or the water and sea salt to a galloping boil over a lively flame.
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3
Give each lobsterone at a timea 1-minute immersion in the boiling water, lifting each one out to rest while the fire builds.
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4
Finally, about 4 inches above white, cindery heat, grill the lobsters whole, turning them almost constantly, for 12 to 15 minutesnot a second more.
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5
In a single, sure movement, and with a large and very sharp knife, cut from head to tail, separating each lobster in two.
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6
Remove the roe and the tomalley.
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7
(Mix the roe, if youve roasted female lobsters, and the tomalley with a bit of softened, sweet butter, smearing the savory salve on hot bread for the cooks merendina.)
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8
Position the lobster halves on a warmed tray or plate and spread them with spoonfuls of the sauce.
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9
Dry-roast the red pepper in the oven, or grill it over a wood fire or over a gas flame, turning it until its skin is deeply, completely charred.
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10
Place the blackened pepper in a paper bag to steam and cool for 20 minutes.
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11
In a small saute pan, warm 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and quickly toast the almonds, tossing them about until they are of a dark golden color.
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12
Set them aside to cool.
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13
Prepare the saffron by pan-roasting the threads over a medium flame for 30 seconds or so before adding the red wine and allowing it to heat nearly to the boil.
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14
Stir the saffron, melting it in the heated wine.
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15
Cover the pan and allow the saffron to steep for 20 minutes.
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16
Remove the pepper from the sack, pulling off its charred skin, scraping away its seeds and chopping it roughly.
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17
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, construct the sauce by processing the almonds, the red pepper, the sun-dried tomatoes, the garlic cloves, the chile pepper, and the red wine vinegar for 30 seconds or until the elements are well amalgamated but distinct texture still remains.
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18
Scrape the work bowl.
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19
With the machine running, begin adding olive oil in a very thin stream, not much more than droplets at a time, approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cupjust enough to bind the sauce into a rather loose paste.
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20
Turn the sauce out into a bowl and begin beating in the saffroned wine, a teaspoon at a time, tasting the sauce after each addition.
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21
Stop when the saffron has gently illuminated, integrated the other flavorswhen a touch of it on the tongue is all at once sweet, salty, sour, piquant, and with a hushed sort of bitterness at its finish.
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22
Dosing the saffron in this manner is good prevention against an acrid-tasting dish.
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23
Allow the sauce to rest an hour or two before presenting it with the just-roasted lobsters.
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24
The sauce is lovely tossed with malloreddus di Desulo (page 234) or with charred, wood-scented meat or fish.
