One of my favorite risotto recipes is Risotto ai Calamari e Rucola from the Liguria region in Italy. Easy to make, downright delicious. Cooking the squid separately will avoid it to become tough and chewy.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups (1 L) fish stock or more
- 3/4 lb (375 g) squids, cleaned, keep tentacles
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup (70 g) onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- 1 1/4 cup (225 g) Arborio rice
- 1/4 cup (25 g) Parmesan cheese
- zest of one lemon
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cups (100 g) loosely packed arugula (rocket)
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
Slice squid bodies into 1 inch (2,5 cm) rings. Quarter tentacles if too large. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat seafood stock to an almost boil and keep it to a barely simmer until ready to use.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook it for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cook it for a minute longer. Add rice and stir until well coated about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir until most of the wine has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the fish stock one cup at a time to the rice mix stirring constantly and keeping the rice at a steady simmer. Continue adding fish stock after each addition has been absorbed. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until rice is “al dente” and creamy. Stir in 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squid rings and tentacles and fry it for 2-3 minutes or just until they start looking opaque and start curling. Do not overcook or squid will become rubbery.
Remove squid saucepan from heat and stir in parsley, lemon zest, and juice. Keep it warm. Just before serving add squid mix and arugula to the rice. Cook just until the arugula has wilted a bit, about 1-2 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with remaining Parmesan.
