Paella strictly speaking, is not the name of a dish but the vessel in which a wide variety of Spanish rice dishes is prepared. The typical paella we've come to expect is either straight up vegetables, seafood, meat or some combination thereof; the most popular one seems to be the latter, known as Paella Mixta. Arroz con Costra is a "paella" of sorts but is not prepared in the classic paella pan, but usually in an earthenware vessel or cast iron pan. It can be prepared on the stove top whereas the larger paella pans typically are best utilized over specialized ring gas burners- and more often than not this means you have to cook outdoors. To my knowledge, no other rice dish from Spain is finished with a beaten egg topping. It is a much heartier dish than classic paellas. Like the paellas, this dish has numerous variations. This recipe is from Savoring Spain and Portugal, one in the excellent Williams-Sonoma series of Savoring cookbooks.
Ingredients:
Meatballs
1/2 lb of ground (preferably minced) pork, veal or mixture thereof
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs soaked in milk then squeezed dry
1/2 cup almonds, ground
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper
1 red bell pepper (preferably Piquillo peppers in a jar)
6 tbsp olive oil (90 ml/3 fl oz)
3 whole garlic cloves
4 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
A few strands of saffron
1 chicken breast skin on (~1/2 lb)
1/2 pork loin cut in 1" cubes
salt & pepper
1/4 lb thick cut bacon (unsmoked, unflavored) or pancetta cut into 1/4"' cubes
2 cups Spanish rice e.g. Bomba
1 cup canned cooked garbanzos, drained
7 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs and form small 1" balls. Set aside.
If you're not using the prepared Piquillo peppers, you'll have to roast or stove top char the red bell pepper skin. This can be done over a gas burner as well. Then peel and place into food processor.
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
In a large cast iron or oven proof pan, warm some olive oil and saute the garlic until tender. Transfer the cloves with a slotted spoon into food processor. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and blend to form a puree.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil to pan and over high heat brown the chicken. Set aside. Brown the meatballs set aside with the chicken, repeat with the bacon and finally the pork.
Bring the remaining broth to a simmer.
Add the rice to the pan over medium heat. Then add the puree and stir to coat. Add the warmed stock, the saffron, chickpeas and meats. Stir ONCE. If you stir too many times short grain varieties such as Bomba will release their starch and you'll wind up with a sticky dish. (In contradistinction, one laboriously stirs Arborio rice in risotto dishes for precisely this reason.)
Bring to a boil then turn down heat to simmer and cook uncovered until the liquid is partially absorbed ~7 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven uncovered and cook for about 10 minutes. Note: depending on the diameter and the depth of your cooking vessel these times will vary.
Beat the eggs with the milk, season with salt and pour evenly over the surface of the rice. Raise oven temperature to 500℉ and bake 5-8 minutes until the top has nicely browned. If it's not adequately browned you can place in under broiler briefly.
Serve with a green salad, hearty bread or better yet, pa amb tomaquet a regional variation on the more familiar bruschetta. Accompany with a strong Catalan red wine such as Priorat.
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