Instead of the usual risotto, the Manzoni Restaurant at Pullman JLT, wants you to try something different. Here’s their recipe of the original Venetian dish which you can try at home.
Prep
| Ingredients |
|---|
| 1/4 cup olive oil |
| 1 onion |
| 1 clove garlic |
| 10 ounces (300 grams) squid, cleaned and cut into thin strips |
| 1 teaspoon squid ink |
| 7 ounces (200 grams) peeled tomatoes |
| Salt and pepper |
| 1/2 stick (50 grams) butter |
| 14 ounces (400 grams) aborio, vialone nano, or cannaroli rice |
| 1 liter fish stock, heated |
| A handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped |
| Water, as necessary |
Method
1. Gently sauté half the onion in olive oil until soft and slightly golden. Add the garlic and the squid, together with the ink. Cook for a few minutes then add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer gently, covered, for half an hour or until the squid is soft, stirring occasionally and checking for tenderness. If needed, add some more water to the pan to keep it 'saucy'.
2. In a separate pan, sauté the rest of the onion with the butter. Add the rice and toast it for a minute, stirring until it's covered in the butter. Add 1 cup of the stock and, over low heat, bring to a simmer. As the liquid reduces, keep adding stock by the cup. The rice will take about 17 minutes to cook in total; halfway through cooking, add the squid to the rice. Continue cooking and adding stock (in some cases, you may need to add some water as you want the rice to cook in plenty of liquid).
3. After 17 minutes the rice should be al dente and the risotto itself should still have a good amount of liquid in it. Take off the heat and toss the rice energetically to create creaminess – essentially you are emulsifying the liquid. The risotto should end up being what Italians call 'al onda', wave-like, which means when you put it on the plate (not a bowl, but a flat plate), it should be liquid enough that it spreads out when you bang the bottom of the plate gently with the palm of your hand. Serve immediately with chopped parsley over the top.
