I had never attempted this dish before, but I decided I would make a Squid Risotto for John, who had just come back from an 180km cycle! Thought he could do with a nice home cooked meal, and I was really inspired to cook with the freshly caught squid! A quick phone call to mum and she gave me this basic recipe:1 large onion diced (or 2 medium, or 3 small) basically, lots of onion as it gives this dish a real sweetness
1 garlic, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
Olive Oil (and a bit of butter)
Squid, cut into small pieces
1 cup white wine
1 cube vegetable stock in about 2 cups boiling water
Salt & Pepper
Ok, so I did things a little differently to what mum explained over the phone.. but it went like this:
In a heavy based pan:
Heat olive oil (and a bit of butter - optional) in a pan, add the onions (I added a shallot as well) and cook for a really long time on low/medium heat until the onions are soft, sweet & caramelised. (Half way through this process add the garlic)
Add the squid and cook for a few minutes.
Add the rice and stir through for a minute or two
Add the cup of white wine and simmer, stirring until the alcohol evaporates (1-2 minutes)
Now, just like a normal risotto, add stock slowly while stirring constantly...as stock evaporates in the pan, add more stock a bit at a time, always stirring.. season with salt & pepper.
My risotto cooked in about 20ish minutes, and I used the full 2 cups stuck plus a dash more water...but this will vary. Basically, only cook the rice till it's all dente....
For someone that doesnt usually really like seafood risotto, this was pretty good! The flavour is mild, not too fishy, sweet from the onions and you can really taste the wine! It's yummy!!
