Thursday, April 13, 2006
Baked Spanish Rice
I don't know if the imaginary weather gods I cursed yesterday really exist and wanted to prove me wrong or if it is simple coincidence that even Ireland is allowed to leave winter behind this year, but as if by a magic hand the clouds were swept away overnight and the sun is finally shining bright and strong. It is still quite cold outside and in the morning I still cycled past cars covered in frost, but none of this matters if the sun is shining. I used to think that my mood was entirely independent of the weather. But since we've moved to Dublin I have learned just how wrong I was; the grey and dark of the Irish winter has really been dragging me down. I sleep-cycled to work, spent most of my days sitting at my desk bitching about everything and anything and then sleep cycled home again where I sat shivering and bitching some more. But today, I was happy to be on my bike, laughed all day - in fact, I laughed so much that my colleagues suspected me of being less than sober - and finally hurried home, all eager to get cooking for my Lofty.There was just one downer: The contents of my fridge did not really make a meal. I could have made some pasta or a risotto, but I wanted more. A special day called for a special dinner, or rather a sunny day called for a dinner that made me feel as if it were a warm summer evening in southern Spain. A bunch of tapas, a glass of wine, maybe some paella... Dream on with an empty fridge! Fortunately, I still had a very good recipe for baked Spanish rice, which basically is a simple version of paella that can be made almost entirely from cupboard staples. I admit, it's not as good as the original, but still pretty yummy.
150 g cherry tomatoes (alternatively ½ can of plI topped the rice with a spoonful of freshly chopped garlic, but you do have to be a garlic lover who has no appointments the next day to really enjoy that. But it suited our mood perfectly and we sat in our living room watching the world music awards on BBC4 dreaming of a great summer holiday somewhere far, far away.um tomatoes, drained and juice reserved)
½ red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1½ tbsp olive oil
150 g paella or risotto rice (if you are desperate, you can use pudding rice, but try to avoid long grain varieties, they do not cook to the right consistency)
100 g chorizo, thickly sliced (I only had the soft, sausage-like kind, but the salami-like variety would be better; alternatively use salami or even Cumberland sausages)
a handful prawns
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or ½ dried)
1 bay leaf
½ litre hot chicken stock
a pinch of saffron strands
1 can sardines in tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
(this recipe is also great to use up leftovers, things that need to go or cupboard staples, such as bite-size chunks of meat or fish (cooked or raw), bell peppers, peas, carrots or leeks)
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place the cherry tomatoes in a roasting tin and sprinkle over the red onion, garlic and olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are softened. I you are using uncooked chorizo or sausages (or meat or fish), heat a spoonful of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and fry just long enough to seal the outside.
When the tomatoes are soft and beginning to brown, stir in the rice, prawns, chorizo, (any other meat or vegetables you are using,) rosemary, bay leaf, chicken stock, tomato sauce from the sardines, saffron and some salt and pepper, mixing well together. Return to the oven for 20 minutes.
When the rice is starting to soften, stir once more and top with the sardines. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the chorizo (and meat or fish) is cooked through.
Christine at 11:58 am
