2286. RICE with PORK, CHICKEN, MEATBALLS and BACON, with an EGG CRUST

serves 4-6


4 pints water
8 oz. lean pork, cut into large cubes
8 oz. boneless and skinless chicken meat
8 oz. minced veal, rolled into 1-inch meatballs
4 oz. thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 onions, 1 whole and 1 chopped
1 carrot
1 small turnip
4 tomatoes, seeded and grated or peeled, seeded and chopped
2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
olive oil
10 oz. short-grain rice
6 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Place the water, pork, chicken, meatballs and bacon in a large pot, and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam.

Add the whole onion, the carrot and turnip and a dash of salt and return to a boil (again skimming of the foam); then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

Remove, and discard the vegetables; them remove the meat and set it aside to cool.

Reduce the cooking liquid on medium-high heat to about 32 fl. oz., and reserve.

When the meats have cooled, chop coarsely and mix together. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a cassola or flameproof casserole, make a sofregit (see below) with the chopped onion, the tomatoes, parsley, and oil.

SOFREGIT: olive oil, onions and tomatoes. Cover the bottom of a cassola, flameproof casserole or large frying pan with at least 1/2-inch of oil, heat for several minutes then add the onions. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered until the onions are wilted, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking in this manner until the onions have turned golden-brown and are beginning to caramelise, adding and cooking off a bit of water if desired. For a darker sofregit, the process may be continued until the onions reach the desired color, but do not let them burn. Add the tomatoes and mix well, the continue cooking until all liquid has evaporated, and the tomatoes have begun to "melt" into the onions.

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Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Add the rice to the cassola, stirring to coat each grain with sofregit; then add about 28 fl. oz. of the reserved coking liquid, and stir well.

Bake 15 minutes; then remove from the oven. If any liquid remains, cook on low heat on top of the stove until it evaporates.

Mix the beaten eggs with the chopped meats, pour the mixture over the rice and return to the oven. Bake until golden-brown, about 5-7 minutes.

Serve directly from the cassola.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Catalan Cuisine: Europe's Last Great Culinary Secret by Colman Andrews. London: Grub Street, 2007. pp. 137-138