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Valencian baked rice with pork and blood sausage

Valencian baked rice is a Spanish one-pot rice dish cooked in the oven with pork ribs, blood sausage, chickpeas, and potatoes. It serves 4, takes 75 minutes, is medium difficulty, and costs about €3.40 per serving. Success depends on sticking to a strict two to one ratio of broth to rice, and resisting the urge to open the oven while it cooks.

Tonight, a Valencian baked rice, all golden in its clay dish with blood sausage and pork ribs.

Valencian baked rice with pork and blood sausage
Total time
1 h 15
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.40
Calories per person
730 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

This is a winter dish built in layers in a single pan, potatoes and tomatoes on the bottom, rice in the middle, pork and blood sausage on top. In the oven, the top of the rice turns slightly crisp while the bottom stays moist, soaked in the juices from the chickpeas and meat. The whole head of garlic cooking at the center turns soft and almost sweet by the time it's done.

This is the kind of dish to make on a Sunday, when you have time to let the oven do the work without interfering. Mon Chou suggests it for days when you want something generous and rustic, with blood sausage that's worth appreciating but makes a change from everyday rice dishes. Pickier kids might prefer to stick to the pork and rice and skip the blood sausage.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Round riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Canned chickpeasoften in the pantry 240 g
  • Saffron or turmericoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Chicken brothoften in the pantry 60 cl
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Butcher

  • Pork spare ribs or chops 500 g
  • Blood sausage 2

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 2
  • Tomatoes 3
  • Garlic 1

The step by step recipe

  1. Brown the pork ribs in olive oil in an ovenproof dish or wide pot, then set them aside. 10 min

    Sear well over high heat, this is the base of the flavor.

  2. Add the sliced potatoes and chopped tomatoes, cook until softened, then stir in the paprika and chickpeas.

    The potatoes on the bottom protect the rice from sticking.

  3. Spread the rice over the potatoes, add back the pork and sliced blood sausage, then pour in the hot saffron broth.

    If saffron is too expensive, turmeric gives the color, though not the same refined flavor.

  4. Place the whole head of garlic, halved, in the center and bake at 200°C until the rice has absorbed all the broth. 35 min

    The rice should be slightly crisp on top, that's the best part of the dish.

  5. Let the dish rest for a few minutes out of the oven before serving straight from the pan.

    Squeeze the roasted garlic over your rice, it's turned as soft as cream.

Our tips to get it right

  • Use a wide, shallow pan rather than a tall pot, the rice cooks more evenly in a thin layer.
  • Heat the broth before pouring it in, cold broth slows the cooking and throws off the ratios.
  • Treat the canned chickpeas as a shortcut ingredient, they're already cooked, so they only need to warm through with everything else.

The variations

  • Swap the blood sausage for fresh sausage if you want a milder flavor.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the pork and blood sausage, double the chickpeas, and use a well seasoned saffron vegetable broth.
  • To save time, use precooked potatoes and cut the oven time by about ten minutes.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with lemon
  • A glass of light red wine
  • Bread to soak up the juices

Storage

The rice keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes reasonably well, though the rice softens a bit once thawed. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of broth or water to bring back some moisture.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different type of rice?

Round short-grain rice works best because it absorbs the broth without falling apart. Long-grain rice tends to turn out drier and less tender, so it's not ideal for this dish.

Do the chickpeas need to be soaked first?

No, this recipe uses canned chickpeas, which are already cooked. Just drain them and add them straight into the dish.

Can you prepare this dish ahead of time?

You can prep the base with potatoes, tomatoes, and pork ahead of time, then add the rice and broth right before baking. Cooked rice loses its texture if it sits too long before serving.

Is saffron really necessary?

Saffron gives the dish its signature flavor and color, but turmeric works well as a substitute for color. The flavor will be slightly less refined, but the dish still turns out well.

How long does it take to make a Valencian baked rice with pork and blood sausage?

Count 1 h 15 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a Valencian baked rice with pork and blood sausage?

About 730 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Valencian baked rice with pork and blood sausage cost?

About €3.40 per serving, or €13.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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