Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds (700 g) cuttlefish or squid, cleaned and chopped, and their ink sacks
- 2 small onions, or one onion and one clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds (700 g) beet greens, washed and coarsely chopped (fresh spinach would also work)
- 3 1/2 cups (700 g, the weight of the fish) short-grained rice
Preparation:
This invertebrate (Sepia officinalis), which belongs to the order of molluscs and the family of the cephlapods, is called calamaio (inkwell) in Florence, perhaps because nature has given it a sack containing a black liquid that can be used as ink with which to defend itself (in the Tuscan language, words are often formed through similes).Tuscans, and in particular Florentines, whose love of vegetables is such that they'd willingly stuff them into everything, put beet greens into this dish, where they seem to me to go as well as baked bread goes with the creed (i.e. not at all). This excessive use of greens is no doubt one of the reasons, and certainly not the least, behind the flaccid constitutions of some groups of people who bear up poorly under the stress of illness, and fall as thick as the leaves in late autumn.
Note:This introduction is typical of Artusi, and is one of the major reasons his book is still selling briskly today.
And now his instructions:
Skin and open the cuttlefish to remove the unnecessary parts, i. e. the bone, mouth, eyes, and stomach; set aside the ink sacks. Wash the cuttlefish well and dice them (see detailed instructions if need be).
Finely mince two small onions, or better yet one onion and a clove of garlic, and sauté this battuto in a pot, in a quarter cup of good olive oil. When the soffritto's lightly browned, add the cuttlefish and wait till they begin to color before adding about a pound and a half of well washed, ribbed, and coarsely chopped beat greens. Mix well, and let the mixture simmer for about a half hour, then add 3 cups of rice (the weight of the cuttlefish) and the ink. As soon as the rice absorbs the color from the ink, add boiling water and finish cooking the risotto (see instructions if need be). The rice should not be overcooked, and when we say dry we mean it should form a mound on the serving platter. You should, generally, accompany rice with grated Parmigiano, though you should forego the cheese when the rice is cooked with hard to digest ingredients like these, if you've got a delicate stomach.
Now I'll give you another method, leaving the choice of which you prefer up to you. No beet greens, no ink, and when the cuttlefish begin to color, as above, add the rice and cook with boiling water and a half cup of tomato sauce or two tablespoons of tomato paste. A dollop of butter added will give the risotto grace, and when it's almost done stir in some grated Parmigiano.
If you want an even better risotto, add, when the rice is half cooked, stir in 3/4 cup freshly shelled peas.
This recipe naturally leads to:
Cuttlefish (or squid) with Peas, Seppie Coi Piselli
Artusi's Instructions:
Mince an onion, a clove of garlic, and some parsley. Set the battuto to brown with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and when it has done so, blend it. Clean the cuttlefish following the instructions given above, cut them into strips, and cook them in this soffritto, sprinkling them with water if necessary. When they're almost done, add the fresh peas, which will be dripping with the water in which you've soaked them.
Artusi doesn't give quantities, but for a pound (500 g) of cuttlefish I would probably want a half pound (225 g) freshly shelled peas. If you really like peas you will want more of them.
Second Note: The above recipes are drawn from my translation of Artusi, which Random House published as The Art of Eating Well in 1996. It is, alas, out of print.
