Squid Ink Risotto 101

In light of the Risotto Off Challenge that was put on the table last week, I decided that it was an excuse for me to be completely self-indulgent. My two choices for this challenge were Beetroot or Squid Ink Risotto and since CollyWolly, a fellow foodie, had also shortlisted the former, I decided to walk blindly into the dinning room of Atlantis. 

The mission, should you choose to accept it - find Squid Ink! 

Admittedly, this was far easier than I thought it would be. I headed straight for Eat In and chose the potential supplier closest to me, which in this case, was Willoughby & Co. at the Waterfront. They were extremely helpful and ordered AND received stock by 13:00. I discovered that Willoughby's sells sushi grade fish, oysters, crayfish, caviar and pretty much any other seafood treasure and will commit to ordering that which they do not stock. Seems that our neighbourhood sushi bar has got a few more wiles than we give her credit for. 

Squid Ink

Chicken Stock

Staring into the pot of inked Arborio for 30 minutes is extremely relaxing even though I felt as if I was going to be requesting eye of Newt or puppy dogs tails at any moment! It was actually not that messy either and my clothing and kitchen got off without any permanent scars. 

Overall, the Squid Ink leaves a lightly fishy taste that is oddly earthy. The colour will always be the show stopped at any dinner table - it's definitely got a forbidden characteristic that goes back to the days when we were hunter gathers that would run a mile at the sight of something in this hue for fear that it would end your young life. 

Should you wish to follow in my ghoulish footsteps, you can find the recipe here. My only recommendation is that you check the salinity of your stock. I used chicken stock from Giovanni's, which has a really good flavour and I love that it's freshly made, however, it quite salty.