Valencian oven-baked rice (arroz al horno)
Valencia's oven-baked rice in a terracotta dish, traditionally made with the broth and chickpeas left from a cocido: pork ribs, morcilla, chickpeas, potato, tomato and a whole head of garlic in the middle, baked until the rice is dry and separate. In Alicante it's topped with beaten egg (arroz con costra).
- 1 hTime
- 33 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- ≈ €2.00per portion
- 920kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 850 mlBeef stock
- 1 gSaffron
- 2Potatoes, in 1 cm slices
- 1Tomato, halved
- 50 gGarlic, 1 whole head
- 5 tbspOlive oil
- 400 gPork ribs, chopped into pieces
- to tasteSalt
- 200 gSpanish blood sausage (morcilla), in chunks
- 2Tomatoes, grated
- 1 tspPaprika
- 350 gPaella rice
- 250 gChickpeas, cooked, drained
Method
- Heat the oven to 220 °C. Heat the stock with the saffron and keep it hot.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm slices. Halve one tomato and coarsely grate the other two.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the potato slices, the tomato halves cut-side down and the whole head of garlic for about 5 minutes. Lift them out.
- Season the ribs with salt and brown them in the same oil for 6–8 minutes. Add the morcilla, brown it for 1 minute and lift it out.
- Add the grated tomato and paprika to the ribs and fry for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and chickpeas and fry for 1 minute. Tip everything into a terracotta dish or ovenproof dish and spread it out evenly.
- Arrange the potatoes, tomato halves and morcilla on top, with the head of garlic in the middle, and pour over the hot stock.
- Bake at 220 °C for about 20 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the stock and is dry and separate.
- Take the dish out and let the rice rest for 5 minutes before serving.
The cost is estimated from average prices in Spain (MAPA – Panel de Consumo Alimentario en Hogares (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación), 2026-07).
