Risotto nero

Serves 4 as a starter

Risotto never made it on to the menu at Le Caprice before my arrival and I was determined to get a silky rice dish agreed by Chris and Jeremy. After several visits to Spain I became inspired by the country's black rice, which was more of a paella than a risotto.

For the stock

A good knob of butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped and washed
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
A sprig of thyme
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1kg fish bones, washed and chopped
20g squid ink
Half a glass of white wine

For the risotto

1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
25g (3 sachets) squid ink, available to order from good fishmongers
200 g carnaroli rice
Risotto stock (see above)
A good knob of butter
100g cleaned squid, cut into small rough 1cm dice

To make the stock, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the vegetables and spices. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Add the fish bones, squid ink, white wine and cover with water. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum that forms and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

Strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve. It should have a good, strong flavour, if not, reduce it a little. Keep it hot until you make the risotto, or if you are making the stock in advance, reheat when you are ready to use it.

To make the risotto, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the rice and stir on a low heat for a couple of minutes, without allowing it to colour. Add the squid ink, stir well then slowly add the stock, a ladle or two at a time, ensuring that all the liquid has been absorbed before adding more, stirring constantly.

When the rice is cooked add the butter and a little more stock if the risotto seems a bit dry: it should be wet but not runny. Meanwhile fry the squid in the butter and scatter it over the risotto to serve.