Calamari Risotto

My dad made this calamari risotto today and it turned out great!  He loves to make seafood dishes, especially since he likes to go fishing and sometimes brings fresh fish home and we eat it the same day.  I made risotto sometimes, but it never tastes as good as my dad's, so I decided to post his recipe on our blog along with some photos.  My mom also helps with cleaning the calamari, and making salad and appetizers and she also took some of these photos today.  Lunch was really great today!  

Calamari risotto is often made in Dalmatia (coastal region of Croatia) and whenever we would go there to visit my grandma over the summer, we would eat this and it was always delicious.  This is one of my favorite dishes and I'm glad that my dad makes it so well! :)  Here is his recipe:

Ingredients: 

- about 2 pounds of frozen uncooked calamari (my parents buy them uncleaned and my mom cleans them, but you can buy the already cleaned calamari)

- olive oil

- 1/2 of an onion, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- About 1/2 cup of tomato sauce or to taste

- salt, pepper and Vegeta (optional) to taste

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 pinch of dry rosemary 

- 1/2 cup of dry white or red wine

- 1 1/2 cups of rice (for best results use Arborio rice for risotto)

- 1-2 cups of water

- parsley, chopped

Directions:

- Saute onion, garlic and parsley in olive oil until golden 

- Add calamari and saute for a few minutes

- In the meantime, cook rice until 'el dente'

- Add wine, tomato sauce, some water, bay leaf, rosemary, salt, pepper and Vegeta and cook for about 20-30 minutes (keep adding water if needed)

- Add rice and cook for a few more minutes

- Add more tomato sauce, salt, pepper and Vegeta if you would like 

- When done, add fresh cut parsley

- In a separate dish, add some olive oil, minced garlic, and about 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and mix (this can be used during dinner if you would like to add some on top of the risotto to add flavor)

- Serve calamari risotto topped with some grated Parmesan cheese

- Serve with green lettuce seasoned with olive oil, vinegar and salt

Enjoy with a glass of your favorite wine!  Prijatno! :)