This rice with chickpeas, raisins and other niceties is a classic from the interior of the Levantine area. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks in the world, The Food from Spain by Claudia Roden, a writer of Jewish origin based in the United Kingdom, which unfortunately is not yet translated into Spanish. It is very refreshing to read what inspires Spanish gastronomy to an outsider , with a point of view devoid of regional favoritism 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 the broth of some meat and cured meat stew, therefore, if we have a good homemade stew, our rice will be very satisfactory. Although it is true that packaged broths have improved a lot in recent years. In addition to the broth, the rice is accompanied by raisins, chickpeas, dried tomatoes, garlic and a touch of sweet paprika: a winning combination.

This type of rice is often baked, as in the original recipe; For the preparation I have used the beautiful Every cocotte , especially suitable for rice thanks to its double lid that emulates the functioning of Japanese pots. It collects heat and recirculates steam beautifully, leaving perfectly cooked rice throughout the pot space. With a literally minimal fire you cook all the rice equally.

This cocotte serves both for the fire and for the oven, so you can make the rice with chickpeas as you like. Personally, I have preferred to do it on the stove because the cocotte allows it, the rice doesn't stick to anything and cooking is more efficient, energetically speaking, than in the oven. I have used brown rice, which is much healthier than husked rice.

Cocotte Every Le Creuset 18cm , Revol porcelain round plates and De Buyer stainless steel spoon

Ingredients (for 4 people)

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

Preparation

1. Put the chickpeas to soak 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 tender. Room and reservation.
3. Wash the head of garlic and dry it. Put a little oil in the cocotte , heat and lightly fry the head of garlic. take it back
4. Add the raisins, the tomatoes cut into pieces and the paprika, and give them just a few turns without roasting the paprika, so that it does not bitter.
5. Add the drained chickpeas and broth, and bring to a boil.
6. Add the rice, stir to mix, and bring back to a boil. Put the head of garlic previously removed on top in the center of the pan, place both lids of the cocotte , lower the heat to a 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 large piece of bread to accompany the rice.

Cocotte Every Le Creuset 18cm , Revol porcelain round plates and De Buyer stainless steel spoon