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Over the years, I have compiled more than 325 recipes here on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook — yet I’ve never blogged about most of them. In most cases I did this because even though I thought the recipe was wonderful and worth sharing with the world, I just didn’t have a big story behind the dish. No story, no blog post.
Problem was, few people ever found these recipes, hidden away in dark corners of this site. So, starting today, I’ve decided to highlight my favorites. I plan on posting a recipe about once a week, in between your regularly scheduled essays and adventures with wild food. Enjoy!
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
There’s something dramatic about a bowl of black rice. The deep, murky aroma and flavor of squid ink is unmistakable, and risotto nero is a classic Italian recipe which highlights that flavor. I’ve added some calamari rings for texture and flavor, too.
This is a pretty simple risotto, actually, although you do need risotto rice and you do need squid ink to make it properly. The ink comes in little packets you can sometimes find in Italian specialty stores, or you can buy squid ink online through my friend Scott at the Sausage Debauchery. Scott also carries excellent risotto rice, but you can also find it in most large supermarkets.
SQUID INK RISOTTO
Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups risotto rice
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 quart fish broth, chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 packet squid ink (about 4 grams)
- 1/2 pound calamari, cut into rings
- Salt
- Lemon zest
Pour the fish broth into a pot and bring it to a simmer. Drop in the calamari rings and let them cook for 30 seconds, then fish them out and set aside in a bowl.
In another medium-sized, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the garlic for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to combine. Cook this for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Add the white wine and stir to combine. Stirring constantly, cook this until the wine has almost cooked away. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering stock and continue the process. It is important to add stock slowly, stir constantly and let the liquid almost cook away before adding more. This should take about 20-30 minutes.
When the rice has cooked, add the squid ink and salt to taste. Add the calamari rings and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and mix in half the lemon zest. Sprinkle the rest of the zest on top as you serve.
Buy Risotto Rice and Squid Ink Online:
Thank for sharing this wonderful dish. I hope more people try cooking with squid ink. I just made Squid Ink Rice with bomba rice, but I cannot wait to try this risotto. Will get some arborio rice this weekend.
Have a good one!
This is good news for us new to your site.
I found this recipe last night while going thru the archives.
Im thinking this risotto topped with some fresh dungeness.
who da thunk I could find live dungeness crabs in Michigan.
=D
We do an awesome Rock Cod on Squid Ink Risotto. Check it out http://on.fb.me/eMfKPv
Fabulous. It never occurred to me that you can cook with squid ink. Thank you!
Good deal Hank. This is an excellent idea.
that looks and sounds delicious! I’ve never used squid ink in anything, but this makes me want to try
a very unique recipe, very interesting using the squid ink, hope you could make videos, it would be really nice to watch
[...] feed a family of 5! Followed the recipes I found for Risotto al Nero di Seppia with Calamari from Honestfood (and added my own scallops) and the recipe for Risotto Milanese from Frugal [...]