Arroz caldozo
Translating to ‘brothy rice’, this soupy brew is yummo, like all Spanish cooking generally is. Simple, with direct flavours and not a tonne of ingredients, it’s easy to whip up.
The Moors brought rice to Spain in the 8th century and today it’s cultivated in Andalucía, Extremadura, Cataluña, Comunidad Valencia, Aragón, and Navarra and mostly associated with paella. Although there are a number of other great rice dishes, many region-specific and not much known outside the country. The two rice varieties most commonly found in Spain are calasparra and bomba, known for their ability to absorb a fair amount of liquid without turning to mush. Fun fact; there are some 120,000 different rice varieties in the world today... who knew? And the Spanish eat more rice than any other European country; around 6kg per head per year.
Try and find Spanish rice for this dish, preferably bomba, although in a pinch arborio will work. It is starchier though so the texture of the finished thing won’t be quite the same. Because this is a relatively simple dish, you do need a decent stock; a crappy commercial one will let things down dismally. So use a homemade chicken one (or even better, a fish one!) if you can.
SERVES 4
750g whole green king prawns
homemade chicken or fish stock (or water), as needed
80ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red capsicum, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
3-4 sprigs thyme
large pinch saffron threads
2 tsp smoked paprika
295g (1⅓ cups) bomba rice
160ml (⅔ cup) passata
Peel and clean the prawns, reserving the heads and shells. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the prawn shells and heads, then cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until they change colour all over. Press down on the heads with a meat mallet or similar so they release most of their liquid, then keep cooking, stirring and pressing occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until as much liquid as possible is evaporated. Add cold water to cover, then bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 1 hour. Strain the stock, discarding any solids. Make the stock up to 1.25 litres (5 cups) with chicken stock or water.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, capsicum, garlic, thyme and saffron threads and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not coloured. Add the smoked paprika and rice, then cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the rice is heated. Add the stock and passata, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 13-14 minutes or until the rice is nearly tender. Add the prawns and cook for another 2-3 mins or until the prawns are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove the thyme sprigs before serving.
