Arroz al horno — baked rice with ribs and blood sausage

Have a shallow ovenproof dish with an internal diameter of about 32 cm and a height of 5–6 cm ready. Cut the potatoes into slices about 5 mm thick. Finely chop 200 g of the tomatoes and slice the remaining 100 g. Remove only the loose outer skins from the garlic head and thinly trim the top to expose the cloves; do not separate the head. Divide the morcilla into four thick pieces. The chickpeas and morcilla must already be cooked, not raw.

Heat 20 ml olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Pat the ribs dry, season with 2 g salt and the pepper, then brown for 8–10 minutes, turning. Pour in 500 ml stock, scrape up the browned bits with a spatula, cover and braise gently for about 50–60 minutes. Add the garlic head for the final 20 minutes. The meat should be noticeably tender and yield easily to a fork; if still tough, braise for about 15 minutes longer. Do not pour off any fat or juices.

While the meat braises, heat the remaining 20 ml olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the potatoes in a single layer for about 6–8 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly golden and beginning to soften. Transfer to a plate without draining on paper towels. Add the chopped 200 g tomatoes to the same pan and cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until most of the watery juice has evaporated and a thick sauce forms. Keep all the olive oil and juices for the dish.

Preheat the oven to 220°C, conventional heat. Carefully lift the tender ribs and garlic onto a plate. Pour all the liquid from the saucepan, including the fat and meat juices, into a measuring jug and add fresh stock to make a total of 750 ml liquid for 300 g dry Bomba rice. This is not an extra 750 ml on top of the braising liquid. Pour into a small saucepan, add the saffron and heat almost to a boil. Taste and, if needed, season with some of the remaining 3 g salt, allowing for the saltiness of the blood sausage. Keep the rest of the stock hot as a reserve.

Add the uncooked rice to the tomatoes in the frying pan and stir over medium heat for about a minute. Take off the heat, add the paprika and drained chickpeas, and stir. Transfer everything to the ovenproof dish, spreading the rice into a fairly thin, even layer. Pour in the measured 750 ml hot liquid and distribute the ingredients once. Arrange the ribs, four pieces of cooked morcilla, potatoes and tomato slices on top; transfer any juices and olive oil from the plates too. Place the garlic in the center with the exposed cloves facing up.

Immediately place in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake without covering for about 25–30 minutes. Do not stir the rice during baking. By the end, the grains should be tender but hold their shape, with no free liquid left on the bottom. The blood sausage should be hot in the center and the potatoes tender and golden. If the rice is still a little firm but the liquid has gone, pour 50–100 ml hot reserved stock around the edges, cover loosely with foil and bake for about 5 minutes longer.

After removing the dish from the oven, let it stand for about 5 minutes. Divide the entire dish into four servings, sharing out the meat, one piece of morcilla per serving and the vegetables. Squeeze the soft cloves from the baked garlic head and serve with the rice; the garlic skins and base, and the rib bones, are not for eating. The rice should be moist but separate, without leftover stock to drain off.