Arroz con Costra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30cm cazuela de barro or wide ovenproof casserole
• •Small saucepan for hot broth
• •Box grater for tomato
• •Large bowl and fork or whisk for eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 220°C. Set a wide 30cm cazuela de barro, ovenproof casserole, or deep ovenproof frying pan ready. Warm the broth separately with the saffron threads so it is hot when it meets the rice; cold broth stops the cooking and leaves the grain chalky in the middle.

2. 2

   Brown the meats

   Season the rabbit and pork ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in the cazuela over medium-high heat and brown the rabbit and ribs well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the two whole garlic cloves for the last few minutes so they perfume the oil without burning. Lift the whole garlic out if it darkens too much.

3. 3

   Cook the sausages

   Add the longaniza and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the morcilla only for 1 minute, turning gently so it holds its shape, then lift the morcilla pieces to a plate. Morcilla is soft; if you let it fight the whole cooking time, it breaks into the rice and muddies the crust.

4. 4

   Build the sofrito

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and stir for 20 seconds, then add the grated tomato and a good pinch of salt. Cook until the tomato is dark, thick, and the oil begins to show at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the pimentón for a few seconds only, just until it smells sweet. Burnt pimentón tastes bitter, and no egg crust will hide it.

   If the pan looks dry before the tomato is cooked down, add a spoonful of broth, not more oil. The tomato should reduce, not fry hard.
5. 5

   Coat the rice

   Add the rice and chickpeas to the cazuela and turn them through the sofrito for 1 minute, until the grains look glossy and stained gold-red. This coating is the small step that keeps the rice separate later. Pésalo, no lo adivines: too much rice for the broth gives you hard grains under a pretty crust.

6. 6

   Add hot broth

   Pour in the hot saffron broth all at once. Shake the cazuela to settle the rice in an even layer, then taste the liquid; it should be well seasoned because the rice will take its salt from here. Return the morcilla pieces to the surface. Boil steadily on the stovetop for 5 minutes without stirring.

7. 7

   Bake the rice

   Move the cazuela to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the broth but the surface still looks moist. Do not stir. Not every arroz is a paella, but this one also wants discipline once the broth is in: leave the grains where they are.

8. 8

   Pour the eggs

   While the rice bakes, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until loose and even, with no streaks of white. Pull the cazuela out just far enough to work safely and pour the eggs evenly over the rice, tilting the pan so the egg reaches the edges. The rice should be nearly cooked before this happens; that is how the egg stays on top and makes the costra.

9. 9

   Set the crust

   Return the cazuela to the oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the egg is puffed, set, and golden in patches. If your oven has a top heat or grill, use it for the last 1 to 2 minutes only, watching closely. You want a browned egg crust, not a dry omelette welded to rice.

10. 10

    Rest and serve

    Let the arroz rest 5 minutes before cutting into it. Serve it from the cazuela in wedges or generous spoonfuls, making sure every plate gets rice, meat, sausage, chickpeas, and a piece of the golden crust. Tal como se hace allí, the crust is part of every serving, not the cook's prize.

Chef Tips

• •Use Spanish short-grain rice if you can. Bomba is forgiving because it absorbs broth without bursting; senia gives a softer, more traditional Valencia-style grain. Arborio works only at a pinch, and it will be creamier than it should be, so rinse nothing and stir nothing.
• •Rabbit gives the dish its lean, country flavour, but chicken thighs are the honest substitute. What you should not replace casually is the embutido: longaniza and morcilla de cebolla carry the cured, spiced backbone of the dish.
• •The egg crust needs timing. Pour the eggs when the rice has nearly drunk the broth and still looks moist on top. If liquid is sloshing, wait. If the rice looks dry and cracking, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of hot broth before the eggs.
• •A cazuela de barro gives the right table and a gentle heat, but only use one that is safe for stovetop and oven. If not, brown everything in a frying pan, then transfer to a preheated ovenproof casserole before adding the broth.
• •This is celebration food and wants a sharp salad beside it, something with escarole, radishes, or dressed tomatoes in season. The rice is rich enough; don't make the table heavier than it needs to be.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the meats and grate the tomato up to a day ahead; keep them covered in the refrigerator. Bring the meat closer to room temperature for 20 minutes before browning so it colours properly.
• •The broth can be warmed with saffron ahead and kept hot while you cook the sofrito. Do not cook the rice ahead; arroz con costra is best served soon after its short rest, while the crust is still tender and the rice dry but not tired.
• •Leftovers keep one day covered in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a low oven with foil over the cazuela; the crust will firm up, but the flavour is still good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)