Spanish Rice

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes + resting 

  •  2 tbsp olive oil 

  • 150g pancetta, or use streaky bacon or chorizo 

  • 1 onion, finely chopped

  • 3 stalks celery, finely diced 

  • 1 large carrot, finely diced 

  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed 

  • 3 large or six small tomatoes, roughly chopped 

  • 1 tsp smoked, sweet paprika

  • 300g paella rice or use risotto rice 

  • Salt & pepper

  • 600 ml stock 

  • Large handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

  • 400g tin chickpeas 

  • Lemon wedges 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180˚c

  2. Heat a little olive oil in an oven proof casserole or frying pan and add the pancetta.  Fry until golden.  Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook until softened.  

  3. Add the tomatoes, paprika and rice and seasoning and stir together.  Add the stock and parsley and stir again.  If using a frying pan, transfer the mixture to a baking dish. 

  4. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and shake them over the rice mixture.  Cover the baking dish with foil or put the lid on the casserole and bake for 20 minutes.  Check carefully to see if the rice is cooked and put the dish back in for a further ten minutes if not. Different brands of rice have different cooking times.  

  5. Serve with lemon wedges. 

Jade ThorneComment