Valencian oven rice

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g paella rice
• 800 ml broth, clear
• 4 slices of pork belly
• 4 thick rib(s), whole
• 4 black puddings (morcilla)
• 100 g chickpeas
• ½ small can of tomatoes, chopped
• 500 g potatoes, preferably large
• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 bulb(s) garlic
• 2 cloves garlic
• Saffron
• Sea salt
• olive oil
• black pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 3 hours

Valencian rice dish with pork, chickpeas and potatoes

First, soak the chickpeas in salted water for 24 hours. After 24 hours, drain and place in a pot of water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer for 1 hour. When the chickpeas are tender, drain and set aside. Then cut the belly meat into approximately 1 cm wide pieces. Cut the thick rib into approximately 6 x 6 cm pieces. You can also have your butcher do both of these. Cut the tomatoes and potatoes into approximately 1 cm thick slices, leaving the ends of the tomatoes aside. Now heat the olive oil in a pan; it should reach about 1 cm deep in the pan. Add the potatoes to the hot oil and season with salt, adding more salt after turning. Deep-fry the potato slices until they have turned a nice golden yellow and are just beginning to brown. Pat the potato slices dry with kitchen paper and set them aside on a plate. Drain the oil from the pan. Keep a little oil in the pan and fry the two garlic cloves over medium heat. Then add the tomato slices to the pan and fry for about 1 minute (preferably a little less) on each side. Set the tomato slices aside on a plate. Now add the thick ribs to the pan with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and fry until browned. Set aside. Also fry the belly pork until browned, but do not add any more seasoning. Set aside. Next, fry the morcillas very briefly (no more than 1 minute), piercing them several times beforehand, otherwise they will burst easily. Also set aside. Remove the garlic from the pan. Add the saffron to the pan and half a can of chopped tomatoes, mix well, and fry for a few minutes. Then add the rice and stir everything well. Sauté for a few more minutes, then add the chickpeas, mix well again, and fry briefly. Pour the mixture into a large casserole dish (preferably a round clay cazuela, but any dish will do), add the pieces of pork belly, and mix. Arrange the ribs in the cazuela, leaving the center free. Place the potatoes on top, again leaving the center free. Cut open the top of the garlic bulb and place it in the center of the cazuela. Arrange the tomato slices and place them on top. Place a morcilla in each quarter. Finally, pour the broth into the cazuela. Place everything in the oven, preheated to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit), for about half an hour to three-quarters of an hour. After half an hour, check to see if the liquid has evaporated. If not, leave the dish in the oven until the liquid has evaporated, but some moisture remains. Then turn off the oven and wait another five minutes. Place the arroz al horno in the center of the table; in the past, it was eaten straight from the cazuela. We still serve it in the center, but eat it from plates.