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| A rice dish with chunks of ribs, mushrooms and beans. |
Here’s the perfect dish for using the season’s wild mushrooms. The only problem is, I don’t have any wild mushrooms. Prolonged drought in much of Spain has slowed the appearance of the boletus, níscalos (saffron milk cap) and other autumn mushrooms. So, I'm making this--a rice dish that's not paella--with cultivated oyster mushrooms.
You could use any mushroom, foraged or cultivated, and, depending on the season, change off the vegetable add-in. For example, I’m using end-of-season green beans. In the winter, chard or other greens will be nice. With spring’s chanterelles or gurumelos, asparagus, artichokes or fava beans would be ideal.
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| Not saffron, but pimentón adds color and depth of flavor to the rice. |
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| The rice is not "dry," like paella, but meloso, juicy. |
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| Change the mushrooms and vegetables with the seasons. Here, green beans and cultivated oyster mushrooms. |
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| Bands of fat on the ribs keep the meat juicy and flavor the rice. |
The rack of ribs needs to be cut lengthwise in thirds, then cut crosswise, between the bones, making small pieces. Unless you’re clever with a cleaver, best to have the butcher do the cutting. To eat, you can either cut the meat off the bones with knife and fork or, for a family meal, let everyone chew the meat off the bones. Pass the paper towels!
Use the same type of rice as for paella, a medium-short-grain variety. Bomba is especially good. This rice is not cooked “dry,” as for paella, nor “caldoso,” soupy. It’s arroz meloso, or slightly juicy. Cook the rice in a paella pan, deep skillet, flat-bottomed wok or earthenware cazuela.
Rice with Ribs and Mushrooms
Arroz con Costillas y Setas
Serves 4.
1 ¼ pounds spareribs, cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)
¼ teaspoon pimentón picante (hot paprika)
½ cup crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup white wine
5 cups hot water
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
2 cups medium-short grain rice, such as Bomba
1 cup cooked green beans, cut in short pieces
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| Brown the pieces of ribs. |
Season the pieces of ribs with salt, pepper and vinegar. Allow to come to room temperature.
Heat the oil in a paella pan, large skillet or cazuela. Add the meat and brown it, turning to brown all sides, 5 minutes. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Sauté until onions are softened and beginning to brown, 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the two kinds of pimentón over the ingredients in the pan. Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol, 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the hot water and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook the ribs, covered, until they are almost tender, 15 minutes. Taste for salt and add additional if needed.
Stir in the rice. Add remaining 3 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, on high heat for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and cook until rice is al dente tender, about 14 minutes. Add the green beans. Remove the pan from the heat. Cover and allow to set 5 minutes before serving. Discard the bay leaf and thyme.
More melosa rice dishes:
