Paella Con Costra

This is an unusual paella with an egg crust that is finished in the oven. The egg crust seals in all the aromas and comes out when broken at the table. The two most widely known types of paella are Valencian paella (paella valenciana) and seafood paella (paella de marisco). Valencian paella consists of short-grain white rice, butter beans, great northern beans, chicken, rabbit, snails (optional), duck (optional), runner beans, artichoke (a substitute for runner beans in the winter), tomatoes, fresh rosemary, salt, sweet paprika, saffron, garlic, olive oil and water. It’s these ingredients that Valencians insist go into making Valencian paella. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. The word paella derives from the Latin word patella for pan and this pan is traditionally round and shallow, made of polished steel with two handles. For more paella recipes, click here and to watch an easy paella video, click here.

Serves 6
recipe from Spanish Recipes cookbook

3 tablespoons olive oil
200g fresh sausages or frying chorizo, sliced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
175g lean cubed pork
175g skinless, boneless chicken breast or rabbit, cut into chunks
350g (1 3/4 cups) paella rice
900ml (4 cups) hot chicken stock
pinch of saffron threads
150g (2/3 cup) cooked chickpeas
6 large eggs
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190c (375f). Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and fry the sausage until browned. Add the tomatoes and fry until reduced. Stir in the pork and chicken or rabbit pieces and cook 2-3 minutes until meat has browned lightly. Add the rice to the pan, stir over the heat for about 1 minute, then pour in the hot stock. Add the saffron, season to taste, and stir well.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and add the chickpeas. Cover the casserole tightly with the lid and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Beat the eggs with a little water and a pinch of salt and pour over the rice. Place the casserole, uncovered, in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until the eggs have set and browned lightly on top. Serve the paella straight from the casserole.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: This was such an easy paella to make and I must admit, it was very moist. I used arborio rice which is a lovely substitute if you can’t find paella rice (bomba). But please, do not use long grain rice as this type of rice cooks quickly and the result won’t be the same. I don’t have a paella pan so I used my wok instead. Yes, I know, the whole point of the paella pan is to distribute the heat evenly and a wok isn’t exactly an interesting item to bring to the table but alas, it did the trick! Enjoy with a glass of Rioja. Cheers!