Wow your guests when entertaining with something a little different - this squid ink risotto and octopus dish is sure to impress. This recipe was created by @danahlikespie and was plated up on our Wonki Ware Marine Dinner Plate, designed and hand crafted in South Africa. 

Ingredients

For the risotto:

• 1/2 a cup of risotto rice
• 1 finely diced shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1-2 cups of vegetable or fish stock
• 1-2 tablespoons of squid ink
• 2 tbsp of butter

For the risotto:

• 1-2 tail Octopus
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 strips of lemon peel

For the Aioli:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 pureed garlic bulbs
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• Pinch of saffron
• 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
• 50ml of vegetable oil 
• 170ml of olive oil

 

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and drop the octopus in. Once the tail has curled, remove from boiling water and rinse plunge into a bowl of ice
2. Place the octopus in a sous vide bag with olive oil, lemon and salt. Seal the bag and cook sous vide, 77 degrees celsius for 5 hours
3. Once the sous vide is done, remove and pat the octopus dry. Baste in a pan with some butter and garlic
4. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk in the vinegar, saffron and mustard
5. Slowly drizzle in the oils until you have a thick mayonnaise consistency, then stir in the garlic and place to the side
6. For the risotto, heat up the stock in a pot and ensure it stays warm
7. Heat up a seperate wide pan (high heat) with some olive oil. Chop up the shallots with a chefs knife and fry until fragrant. Then add the garlic and risotto rice and fry for a minute
8. Add in small portions of the stock at a time, turning the heat down to medium and allowing the risotto rice to absorb the stock before adding more until the rice is soft with a gentle bite in the middle
9. Add the squid ink and butter, then remove from the heat
10. Plate with the octopus, aioli and fresh greens of your choice