Penne pasta with Cuttlefish sause

Open the fridge, check for the ingredients and then decide about the recipe - that's my cooking motto. Some basic ingredients are always there, the others change. Today I have fresh cuttlefish as it was on offer at my trusted fishmonger's.   




INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 2

300g cuttlefish (1 small or half a big one)
160g Penne pasta
50g black olives
3-4 pinches of capers
2 garlic cloves
200-250 ml canned chopped tomatoes
some white wine 
half veg stock  
chilli
oregano
salt
sugar
EVO oil  

1. First we cook the sauce. For that cut garlic cloves into halves and fry them till they're gold in some EVO oil.

2. Cut cuttlefish body into very thin stripes and leave the tentacles as they are, we'll use them as a decoration.
3. Add cuttlefish to the frying pan with oil and garlic and add a splash of white wine. When the alcohol is evaporated add half a glass of water and half a veg stock, capers and olives and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Now it's time for tomatoes: add tomato pulp from a can or if you have fresh tomatoes you may add 3 middle tomatoes cut in cubes (you need to emerge the whole tomatoes into boiling water for a couple of minutes and then into cold water, then peel them accurately and cut).
5. Tomatoes contain acid so we need to balance it with some sugar: add couple of pinches of sugar to the sauce and some salt to taste. Add also some chilli and oregano.

6. Cook the sauce for 20 more minutes adding some water when it becomes too dry.

7. Meanwhile boil water for pasta and cook penne pasta until "al dente".



8. Mix pasta with the sauce and serve. You may decorate your plate with the cuttlefish tentacles from the sauce...  

  

Cuttlefish Ink Risotto - Risotto al Nero di Seppia

This dish looks strange and particular but tastes delicious!!! It's black in colour and has a strong sea taste... Even in Italy you won't find this dish in each and every restaurant. It's prepared with the ink of cuttlefish. 
Cuttlefish produces the ink that is released to have a possibility to hide itself in case it feels threatened. The ink is stored in kind of a bag that is delicately cut off the cattlefish when it's cleaned. You can also find the ink sold separately at fishmonger's.

INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 4

600-700g fresh cuttlefish (including the ink bag)
350g rice (Arborio type)
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
chilli
1/2 glass white wine
1 veg stock
salt
EVO oil
1200-1300 ml water (fish broth) 


 
1. Chop finely half an onion and cut into halves the garlic cloves.
2. Pour some EVO oil in a sausepan and cook onions and garlic till it's almost transparent. 


3. Cut cuttlefish body into stripes and the tentacles into small pieces.
4. Add cuttlefish to the onions, pour white wine and add chilli to taste.
5. Cook till the alcohol is evaporated, for about 5 minutes. Take the garlic out.

 
6. Add rice and mix well. Add about 200 ml of vegetable broth, if you have fish broth, it would be much better, but as I may understand not so many people keep fish stock at home...lol...

Note: Don't wash the rice!!! It should be DRY !!!

7. Add some more broth (water) little by little any time your risotto is becoming dry. 

Note: If you pour the water little by little you will extract more starch from the rice and the risotto will become creamier.

8. Dilute the cuttlefish ink in 50 ml of water and mix well to dissolve it.
9. After about 15 minutes add the ink to the rice, mix well and cook for 5 minutes more.  

 
Note: The texture of risotto should be creamy with some sauce.     
  

Yeah, you may grant yourself with a glass of chilled white wine with such a dish!!!