A tasty first course, beautiful to present but very easy to prepare… risotto with bell pepper cream and squid, perfect even for occasions with guests. For the bell pepper cream, you will simply need to roast the whole peppers (I used the air fryer to save time), peel them, and blend them. The squid, instead, are sautéed in a pan for a few minutes, then added directly to the plates. Try this recipe, it’s easy, quick, but really delicious!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Air Frying
- Seasonality: Summer, Fall
- Energy 386.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.38 (g) of which sugars 3.98 (g)
- Proteins 16.02 (g)
- Fat 4.42 (g) of which saturated 1.14 (g)of which unsaturated 0.97 (g)
- Fibers 2.61 (g)
- Sodium 486.42 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 11 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (carnaroli or vialone nano)
- 12 oz squid (fresh)
- 2 bell peppers (red or yellow)
- vegetable broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
Tools
- Casserole
- Frying Pan
- Blender or food processor
- Air Fryer or oven
Preparation
Wash the bell peppers, dry them, and place them directly in the basket of the air fryer, leaving them whole.
Cook them at 392°F for 18 minutes, turning them a couple of times. They should be tender with wrinkled skin (1). If you don’t have an air fryer, you can use the oven; the result will be the same, but it will take 40-50 minutes.
Transfer the peppers to a freezer bag and close it with a tie.
Wait 5 minutes, then remove them from the bag, remove the skin, open them, and clean them from seeds and white filaments. You will see that the skin comes off very easily.
Cut them into pieces and put them in a blender or a food processor. Blend them for a few seconds and transfer the obtained cream into a bowl, salt, and pepper.
Clean the squid: detach the head from the pouch, remove the innards, skin, beak, and internal cartilage. Wash them well in cold water, cut the pouches into rings, and let them dry on absorbent paper.
Sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt (2). A few minutes will be enough on high flame, so they don’t become rubbery. Once ready, turn off the heat and set them aside.
Heat a non-stick pan with a little oil. Add the rice and toast it for a minute or two.
Moisten with the hot vegetable broth and cook the risotto, stirring frequently and adding more broth when necessary.
After halfway through cooking, add the bell pepper cream and blend it in (3).
When the rice is cooked (it will take about 20 minutes in total, depending on the quality), turn off the stove and distribute the risotto on the plates.
Finally, add the squid and a handful of chopped parsley.
Your risotto with bell pepper cream and squid is ready, serve it hot… enjoy your meal!
Tips and Variations
If needed, you can use frozen squid (however, I recommend always using fresh ones, which are much more tender and flavorful).
At the end of the rice cooking, you can cream with a small knob of butter or with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
You can season with a pinch of chili pepper. You can sauté a little chopped onion as a base for the risotto.
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