"This is one of my favorite aperitivos because it is full of flavour, looks great and who doesn't love lobster and calamari," says Michael Boragina, chef at The Bicycle Thief in Halifax. "Aperitivo time is great for sharing time with friends and family sharing the events of the day and catching up."
Servings: 8
Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup canaroli rice
½ clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
3 cups lobster broth
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
2 ounce lobster meat, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon green peas
3 leaves basil
Calamari
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 baby calamari tubes
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ clove garlic minced
2 cups swiss chard, cut into ribbons
Method
In a saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and rice. Slowly start to toast the rice until the outer parts become translucent and the rice is hot to the touch. Add garlic and onions, then stir for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of lobster broth and stir vigorously so as to not let any stick to the bottom. Add bay leaf, thyme and lobster meat. Slowly incorporate the rest of the broth each time letting it come back to a simmer and letting the rice absorb half the liquid (this process should take 16-18 minutes).
Once all the liquid has been added and the rice is al dente, remove it from the stove and fold in the butter, basil and green peas. Let cool.
Stuff the calamari tubes with the cooled risotto.
In a nonstick pan, oven-safe pan, add the vegetable oil and let it get hot. Lightly brown your stuffed tubes. When brown, remove from the pan.
Add the tomato sauce and broth to the pan the tubes were in. Let them come to a simmer. When simmering, place stuffed tubes in the sauce and cover with foil. Place pan in a 425°F oven for 45 minutes.
In a separate pan add the olive oil and garlic. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the swiss chard and gently start to cook. Add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan to steam. Spoon the sauce onto your plate, then make a bed of your swiss chard and place your stuffed tubes on the bed of greens.