Cuttlefish pasta

There’s something sinister about opening a can of tar-black something or other and throwing it into a pot. Unless, of course, you happen to be carrying a can of cuttlefish in ink. I discovered the stuff perhaps a year or so ago, in a local grocery store, and was intrigued by the box:

This could either be a very good purchase, or a seriously painful mistake. Undeterred, I made the ugliest risotto I’ve ever seen. I’ve been a cuttlefish convert ever since. In case you haven’t had them, cuttlefish are basically squid. In this form, they’re cut into relatively small chunks and bathed in a swathe of squid ink, which serves as a rich but subtle reminder of your meal’s origins. It also happens to have a somewhat creamy consistency, which makes it excellent for making a pasta sauce that’s both creamy and dairy free.

It pairs nicely (and quite simply) with sweet corn, garlic, and red bell peppers. This happened to be a pre-night shift lunch a few weeks ago, and took a whole 10 minutes to cook? The pasta was the limiting factor.

Black bean chili with sweet corn

Somewhere out there is my perfect black bean recipe. You know — the one that reminds me of citrusy garlic chicken with fried plantains, black beans, and rice from Versailles in Los Angeles. I haven’t lived in LA for over a decade now, but I still have vivid dreams about those meals.

Before you get too excited, I should warn you that I haven’t found it yet. I did, however, find an acceptable substitute for the time being, which is the subject of my post today.