Total: 55 min Diners: 2

This is a very, very typical recipe in Spain, in fact, we have made here another variety but only with baby Squid that you will see that it is quite different from the one we bring here today. You always have to give different alternatives for different results but equally tasty…

Everybody knows it and, like it more or like it less, sometime a year you eat squid in its ink in any of its versions: in Rice, stuffed, alone in its ink… Be that as it may, it is a real delicacy that, oddly enough, is not known anywhere. I do not know if it is eaten in some remote European or Asian village, but I know firsthand that when a foreigner sees it, he is very surprised.

I have many American friends and I remember perfectly their expression of surprise when they saw for the first time a squid with all its anatomy and smeared in a black sauce like tar.

Although this time we are not going to prepare any stew “in its ink”, we will make a black rice with squid; a very rich Mediterranean recipe and ideal for any Sunday family celebration. And even, I would dare to say that it could work at Christmas because in this rice version, the consistency of the rice is mellow, allowing us to leave it pre-cooked in advance and, at the time of eating it, join it with the sauce and other ingredients.

As with any other rice, the key to success lies in starting with a good sofrito loaded with flavor which, on this occasion, is mainly leek. That, along with quality ingredients, is the best way to get the perfect rice. In addition, if we deglaze with crushed natural tomato or with a salmorreta, the flavor of the rice is multiplied by a thousand.

In restaurants like L’Albufera, La Cocina de Danielli, Rocacho, Berlanga or Taberna Recreo (when they make them) in Madrid you can try rice dishes this good. The flavor left by the squid ink is unmistakable and the black color of its hypnotizing sauce, but you just have to be careful to add little salt so as not to screw up the whole elaboration. Now, just enjoy.

How to make black rice with squid

The first thing we will do is to start the sofrito, I always recommend making big batches of sofrito and then freeze in portions, so you can advance your recipes at any time.

Ingredients

For the sofrito

Leeks, 2 pc Onion, 1 pc Extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons Salt, 1 teaspoon

For the rice:

Sofrito, 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons Cleaned baby squid or cuttlefish without feathers, 200 g Leek, 1 pc Crushed ripe tomato, 1 pc Squid ink, 1 sachet Carnaroli rice, 180 g Fish stock, 750 ml Butter, 40 g Salt, c/s Black pepper, a pinch

.Step 1

To make the sofrito, finely chop the leek and onion, as small as possible and in a pot – ideally low and wide – start frying them with oil and salt, over low heat, so that they poach well, we will even like that they begin to caramelize slightly taking color.

Step 2

Meanwhile clean the baby squid or cuttlefish very well, remove all the inner tenderness they may have and also the feather. We can use them frozen. If they are big cuttlefish, chop them up roughly, keep in mind that they are very small as soon as they touch heat so do not make them too small or you will lose them in the rice, and like to notice them.

Incorporate then the cuttlefish and sauté them well for a couple of minutes.

Step 3

When the sauce is ready, add the crushed tomato (or grated if you don’t have a way to crush it) and let it concentrate well, changing its color.

Step 4

Dissolve the ink in a tablespoon of hot broth, add it to the sofrito and mix everything well. Then add the rice and stir everything very well. Sauté for a minute over high heat.

Step 5

Incorporate a ladle of hot broth, lower the heat and stir occasionally until the liquid is absorbed. The idea is to cook this black rice as if it were a risotto, so when the first case of broth has been consumed, add the next and repeat the process until all the broth is used up.

Step 6

Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and add the butter, cover and let stand 3 minutes.

Step 7

On uncovering, stir well and serve sprinkled with some of the chopped leek greens on top.

Other easy recipes with rice

Chicken fried rice, easy recipe explained for clumsy people Easy rice with lobster, the recipe that is always just right Rice pudding with polvorones, a Christmas recipe for making the most of Christmas Quick fried rice