Rice with chickpeas in cocotte Every

This rice with chickpeas, raisins and other delicacies is a classic from the interior of the Levantine region. The recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks in the world, The Food from Spain by Claudia Roden, a writer of Jewish origin living in the United Kingdom, which unfortunately has not yet been translated into Spanish. It is very refreshing to read what Spanish gastronomy inspires in an outsider , with a point of view free of regional favouritism in a very personal and non-transferable collection of recipes.

Mrs. Roden says that in the interior of the Valencian region, rice dishes are often prepared with broth from a stew of meats and sausages, so if we have a good homemade broth, our rice will be very satisfying. Although it is true that packaged broths have improved a lot in recent years. The rice is accompanied, in addition to the broth, by raisins, chickpeas, dried tomatoes, garlic and a touch of sweet paprika: a winning combination.

This type of rice is often made in the oven, as in the original recipe; for this I used the beautiful Every cocotte , especially suitable for rice thanks to its double lid that emulates the operation of Japanese pots. It collects the heat and recirculates the steam wonderfully, leaving the rice perfectly cooked throughout the entire space of the pot. With literally a minimum heat you cook all the rice evenly.

This cocotte can be used both on the stove and in the oven, so you can make the rice with chickpeas however you like. Personally, I preferred to cook it on the stove because the cocotte allows it, the rice doesn't stick at all and cooking is more energy efficient than in the oven. I used wholegrain rice, which is much healthier than husked rice.

Le Creuset Every 18cm Cocotte , Revol Porcelain Round Plates and De Buyer Stainless Steel Spoon

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 100 g chickpeas (dry weight)
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 80 g raisins
• 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• ¾ tsp. sweet paprika
• A little olive oil
• 750 ml of meat broth
• 220 g round grain rice (whole grain or not)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Soak the chickpeas in warm water the night before.
2. The next day, drain the chickpeas, put them in a saucepan and cook, skimming off any impurities, until they are tender. Add salt and set aside.
3. Wash the garlic head and dry it. Put a little oil in the cocotte , heat it and lightly fry the garlic head. Remove it.
4. Add the raisins, chopped tomatoes and paprika, and stir only a few times without toasting the paprika, so that it does not become bitter.
5. Add the drained chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add the rice, stir to combine and bring back to the boil. Place the previously removed head of garlic on top in the centre of the pan, place both cocotte lids on, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the quality and freshness of the rice, until it is done and has absorbed almost all the water.
7. Serve immediately, squeezing the cooked garlic cloves over a nice piece of bread to accompany the rice.

Le Creuset Every 18cm Cocotte , Revol Porcelain Round Plates and De Buyer Stainless Steel Spoon