Baked Rice with Currants and Chickpeas
Description
(serves 10 as a main course or 21 dairiole moulds)
Omit bacon and substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian dish.
INGREDIENTS
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
140g (1) red onion (finely diced)
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
200g slab bacon (cut into 1cm dice)
560g (1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp) paella rice
1.185 litres (4 + 2/3 cups + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) boiling chicken stock
175g (1 cup) canned chickpeas {drained or soak dried overnight and cook till al dente and measure one cup}
72g (½ cup) currants 15 ml (1tbsp) olive oil
1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves
140g (1) red pepper (cut into 2cm dice)
3 large leaves rainbow chard (roughly cut)
¼ tsp freshly ground saffron(we grind in a mortar with pestle)
3 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 whole garlic bulb (top trimmed to expose cloves and blanched for 15 minutes)
olive oil
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Pour oil into frypan and place pan over a medium heat for 15-30 seconds till hot.
- Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or till onion is translucent. Add chopped garlic and bacon cook for a further 1 minute.
- Add rice, stock, chickpeas and currants, Italian parsley, red pepper, rainbow chard, saffron, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour into 28 cm cazuela with 2.5 litre volume and, using the back of a spoon, spread out rice to make an even depth. Place garlic bulb in the centre of the cazuela pushing it into the liquids. Brush top of garlic with a little olive oil.
- Place into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn cazuela around and cook for a further 15 minutes. Cover with aluminium foil, turn around and cook for a further 15 minutes or till rice is cooked and fluffy.
- Cover Baked Rice with Currants and Chickpeas with aluminium foil and rest for 5-10 minutes.
