Squid Risotto

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: More than 15 Minutes Total Time: Under an hour
2 tubes squid, cleaned and skinned
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 threads saffron, crushed (optional)
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock, hot
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat a grill pan on high. Rub squid tubes with olive oil and sear them in the grill pan to parcook and make grill marks on them. Cut them into 1/4" thick rings and set aside. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add rice and shallots. Cook until rice starts to crackle, then add garlic. Continue to cook for 1 minute and add the saffron and wine. Stir, and once wine has absorbed, add about 1 cup of stock. Cook, stirring nearly constantly until liquid is absorbed, then add another 1/2 cup of stock. Repeat this process until rice is soft, but slightly firm when bitten. The rice grains will maintain their shape and the entire mixture will be creamy, but not mushy. You may not need all the stock to achieve this. Add squid to the pan; allow the heat of the risotto to finish cooking it. Add the Parmesan and season to taste. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings