Baked rice (arròs al forn) is the most representative typical dish of the Valencian community.
Since ancient times it has been known as ''arròs passejat'' which translates as walked rice . This name is given by the same cooks who had to move from the kitchen to the oven. It should be noted that, before, the ovens were for community use, therefore cooking them was a ritual. Some joked that what they were going to reduce by passing the rice around would be recovered when the dish was ready.
This dish has the particularity that it has been served since then in clay pots, it is considered an occasional dish and can be consumed at any time of the year. Its fairly high nutritional value, especially in calories, makes it one of the favorites in the winter. It is very attractive, its colors and contrasts are quite striking, there are those who decorate it with sprigs of parsley and as a presentation it is spectacular.
Its preparation is laborious if you decide to use the community ovens, but at home it will only take you an hour to have it ready to impress your whole family. And if you impress with your dish, you can participate in the international baked rice preparation festival held in Valencia.
Ingredients (4 servings approx.)
- 300 g pork rib
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 rice blood sausages
- 1 potato
- 150 g cooked chickpeas
- 160 g bomb rice
- 250 ml chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 small tomatoes or 1 large
- coloring or sweet paprika
- salt
- oil
Preparation (1 hour approx.):
1. Heat the oven to 220ºC.
2. In a saucepan, sauté the lightly salted ribs and the head of garlic with olive oil. Remove when everything is golden brown.
3. In the same pot, put the blood sausages and roast them a little. Withdraw.
4. Add the peeled and cut potato into 1 cm thick slices. Add a little salt and remove them when they are golden.
5. Heat the broth.
6. In the casserole where we have cooked the rest of the ingredients, add the chickpeas, rice and coloring. Stir well until the rice grains begin to become transparent.
7. Add the ribs, blood sausages and potatoes to the casserole. In the center, place the head of garlic and, around it, put the sliced tomatoes. Lightly salt the tomatoes. Add the boiling broth.
8. Bake at 200ºC for about 25 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the broth.
Enjoy!
