This recipe is from Rick's Venice to Istanbul series and is one of his favourite dishes.
Rick says 'What makes it so special is that the cuttlefish is of such good quality, and also that they use about twice as much cuttlefish ink as I have ever seen in a printed recipe'.
400g prepared cuttlefish
90ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 small shallot, chopped
10g/2 cloves garlic, chopped
350g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
100ml white wine
1.2 litre hot Fish stock
4 x 4g cuttlefish ink sachets
1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g butter
Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Separate the tentacles of the cuttlefish,set aside, and cut the body into 1cm squares.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying
pan over a high heat and sauté the cuttlefish, both body and tentacles, for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat a little, then add the shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften.
Add the rice and fry it in the oil for 2 minutes, then add the white wine. Bring to a simmer to allow this to evaporate before adding the first ladle of hot fish stock. When this has been absorbed, add the next ladle, and so on, stirring after each addition, until nearly all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked – 15–16 minutes.
At this point add the sachets of ink to the pan.
Season with the grated Parmesan and some salt and pepper, and stir in the butter. Serve drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with chopped parsley.
