Arroz al horno (Spanish baked rice)

Arroz al horno is a traditional Spanish dish, especially in the Valencia area.

Basically, it's a mixed meat paella cooked in the oven.

Give it a go, it's amazingly tasty, really easy to make, and will only take you about 45 min. What's more, you don't need any special pans or ingredients that are difficult to get, as you can substitute them for products available in most supermarkets, without spoiling the taste.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 tin finely chopped tomato,

1/2 diced onion,

5 or 6 slices of potato,

1 head of garlic,

"butifarras" or "morcilla", (you can substitute with 2 or 3 slices of black pudding),

4 small chorizos or 2 large ones,

5 or 6 pieces of rib, (you can substitute with sausages of your choice),

olive oil, salt, 200 gr of rice (short or long grain will do),

yellow food colouring or finely sliced, chopped, grated or ground turmeric.

about 600ml of water.

STEPS

1)Gently fry the onion in enough oil to cover 2/3 of the base of a large non-sick pan (I bought this pan in Home Bargain for about £4.00, and it is remarkably good for this type of dish).

2)Once the onion becomes transparent, add the meat and continue frying for a couple of minutes, then add the turmeric (if you are using turmeric rather than food colouring), and stir again. Leave to fry for a couple more minutes, then add the slices of potato.

3)When the potato starts to take colour, add the tomato and stir in well, then allow it to reduce until it becomes a thickish paste.

Once reduced, it is time to remove the butifarra and the potato from the pan.

Cut the butifara into thirds and return to the pan, then add the rice and stir well to ensure that it is evenly coated.

4)Pour the water (600ml) into the pan, moving to ensure the rice and the other ingredients are evenly distributed around the pan, (if you are using food colouring, now is the time to add it) then arrange the potato slices on the surface and finally, cut the head of garlic in half and place it in the centre of the pan. Bring to the boil.