For 4 persons
Ingredients for the risotto
180 grs of risotto rice
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil,
1 onion
1 branch thyme
1 small spoon salt
1 pinch black pepper
15cl of white wine
20cl of chicken stock
20cl of vegetable stock
Peel the onion and then chop it into tiny cubes.
Gently warm the olive oil in a sauce pan and add the onions. Stir them and then add the rice. Stir everything slowly until the mixture becomes a bit transparent (around 1 to 2 minutes).
Add the white wine, the chicken and vegetable stocks, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Add warm water to the preparation. The total amount of liquid should be 3 times the height of the rice and onions.
Cook over high heat. Stir the preparation from time to time until it starts to boil.
As soon as it boils, cover the sauce pan, turn off the heat, and let cool.
Ingredients for the risotto dressing
(around 150grs) fresh green peas
15/20cl 30% liquid cream
a nice branch of fresh mint
cooked risotto
Pour 15/20cl of 30% cream into a sauce pan. Add the risotto and 150gr of fresh peas.
Warm slowly, stirring at the same time for around 3 to 6 minutes maximum.
At the end of the cooking, the risotto should be creamy and soft.
Slice the mint leaves thinly; add to the risotto.
Ingredients for the calamari:
4 calamari of 160/200grs each (Ask to the fishmonger to prepare them for cooking, if you want. Otherwise, remove the skin and clean them.)
1 pinch Espelette pepper
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
Take each calamari and cut it down the middle to get 2 similar pieces; cut one of the pieces in half. You should have now 3 flat pieces for each of the calamari.
Warm a large frying pan over high heat.
Prepare the calamari by brushing them with olive oil and sprinkling with Espelette pepper and salt.
When the pan is very hot, sear the calamari (press each of the pieces against the pan for few seconds so that the calamari colors and then starts rolling). Don’t overcook. The calamari should be cooked 30 seconds to 1 minute maximum depending on your taste.
Ingredients for the sauce:
2 red sweet bell peppers
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch black pepper,
1 squeeze of lime
2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
thyme leaves
Pour the olive oil into a baking dish.
Add peeled garlic, the sweet bell peppers (wash them and leave them entire), and a small amount of water.
Place in oven at around 180/200°C. Leave the peppers until the skin become grilled, almost burned. Remove the baking dish from the oven and wait for it to cool; peel the skin of the peppers, take out the stem and the pips.
Stir the baked red sweet bell peppers, garlic, salt, squeeze of lime, and pepper in a pot (or use a blender).
If the preparation is too solid, add just a little amount of water and olive oil.
Presentation:
Shape a big spoonful of the risotto and pea dressing into a disk in the middle of a plate.
Arrange 3 pieces of seared calamari on top of the disk.
Pour the sweet bell pepper sauce around the risotto and serve.