Pork Arroz al Horno

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g boneless pork shoulder
• 300 g arborio rice (short-grain rice)
• 1 tin chickpeas (265 g drained)
• 2 potatoes (about 150 g each)
• 2 tomatoes (about 120 g each: 1 for the sauce, 1 for the top)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika + ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 750 ml hot water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large sauté pan
• Ovenproof dish (about 30 × 22 cm)
• Saucepan
• Grater
• Chopping board
• Clean tea towel

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Cut the pork into 2 cm cubes, so they're tender after their time in the oven, and season lightly with salt. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 5 mm slices. Chop the garlic. Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
2. Halve one tomato and grate it on the coarse side of a grater over a bowl, discarding the skin. Slice the other tomato. Crumble the stock cubes into the hot water and keep this stock simmering in a pan over a low heat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the potato slices for 2 min on each side, without trying to cook them through, then set aside on a plate.
4. In the same oil, brown the pork cubes for 6 to 8 min, turning them, until well coloured on all sides. Don't worry if they're not cooked through: they'll finish in the oven.
5. Lower to a medium heat, add the garlic and stir for 30 s, then add the grated tomato and cook for 3 min until it becomes a thick purée. Add the paprika and turmeric and stir for just 20 s: paprika burns and turns bitter very quickly.
6. Add the rice and chickpeas and stir for 1 min to coat the grains well in the sauce. Tip everything into the ovenproof dish and spread it out in an even layer, without packing it down.
7. Arrange the potato and tomato slices on top, pushing them halfway in. Taste the stock, which should be well seasoned, then gently pour it over everything while still boiling. Season with pepper. Don't stir from this point on.
8. Bake for 25 min, until the stock is fully absorbed, the rice is tender and the top is golden in places. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with a sheet of foil halfway through.
9. Take the dish out, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 5 min: the rice finishes swelling and holds together better. Serve straight from the dish, in the middle of the table.