Arròs Caldós de Pollastre i Conill

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep cazuela de barro or heavy 28-30cm pot
• •Box grater for tomatoes
• •Ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Season and brown

   Salt the chicken and rabbit well. Heat the olive oil in a deep cazuela or heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the meat in batches until the skin and edges take on a firm golden colour, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not crowd the pot; pale meat gives a pale broth. Lift the pieces to a plate as they brown.

   Bone-in pieces matter. They give the broth body while the rice cooks, and this dish needs that more than neat boneless meat.
2. 2

   Cook the vegetables

   Lower the heat to medium and add the flat green beans and garrofó to the same oil. Cook for 4 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook slowly until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet.

3. 3

   Build the sofrito

   Add the grated tomato and cook it down patiently until the oil separates and the tomato turns darker, thick, and almost jammy, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the pimentón off the heat for a few seconds so it blooms without burning. This slow sofrito is the floor of the dish; rush it and the rice tastes thin no matter how good the stock is.

4. 4

   Simmer the meats

   Return the chicken and rabbit to the pot with any juices. Crush the saffron between your fingers and add it with the hot stock. Bring to a lively simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 25 minutes, until the meat is nearly tender and the broth is well colored. Taste for salt now; the rice needs a seasoned broth, not a timid one.

5. 5

   Add the rice

   Raise the heat so the broth is bubbling evenly. Stir in the rice and the rosemary sprig if using, then cook uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring only once or twice to keep the grains from catching. Keep the rice loose and brothy. If it tightens before the grain is tender, add a small ladle of hot stock or water.

6. 6

   Rest briefly

   Remove the rosemary after a few minutes so it perfumes the pot without taking over. When the rice is just tender with a little bite and the broth still moves around it, take the pot off the heat and rest it for 3 minutes only. Serve at once in deep bowls. Arròs caldós waits badly; the rice keeps drinking while everyone talks.

Chef Tips

• •Use bomba or Calasparra rice if you can. Arborio works only at a pinch; it gives off more starch, so the broth turns creamier and less clear. Serve it quickly and don't stir it like risotto.
• •The ratio is the promise: about four parts broth to one part rice by volume. For 300g rice, 1.4L broth gives you a proper caldoso finish, loose enough for a spoon.
• •Rabbit gives the dish its lean, country flavour. If you use all chicken, choose bone-in thighs and drumsticks, not breast, and expect a softer, rounder broth.
• •No chorizo here. Chorizo belongs to other dishes, and in this pot it would shout over the saffron, tomato, and rabbit.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut and salt the chicken and rabbit up to 12 hours ahead, then keep covered in the refrigerator. Bring them out 30 minutes before cooking so they brown better.
• •The sofrito can be cooked up to a day ahead and kept chilled. Rewarm it gently before adding the meat and broth.
• •Do not cook the rice ahead. Arròs caldós must be served as soon as it is done, while the broth is still loose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 680g)