SERVES 4
A deliciously flavored rice of chicken, pork, and sausage with an interesting twist i.e. a tasty egg crust that allows the rice to be cut like a deep-dish pizza. This age-old recipe is similar to the one found in the classic, Llibre del Cuiner, a sixteenth-century cookbook written by Ruperto de Nola, Catalan chef to the Spanish kind of Naples (Naples at that time was a part of the Spain’s empire).
⅔ cup canned chickpeas (reserve the liquid)
About 3 cups of chicken broth
⅛ tsp crumbled saffron threads
¼ lb boneless chicken, preferably thigh meat, cut in ½-in cubes
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
¼ lb sausage, preferably bratwurst, cut on the diagonal in ½-in slices
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ red bell pepper
1 small to medium tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced parsley
¼ tsp sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
1¾ cups Spanish or Arborio short-grained rice
4 eggs
1 Drain the chickpeas and combine the liquid with the chicken broth and saffron to make 3½ cups. Mash half of the chickpeas through the strainer into the broth mixture. Keep the broth hot over the lowest heat.
2 Preheat oven to 400 °F for gas oven and 450 °F for electric oven.
3 Sprinkle the chicken and pork all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a paella pan that measures about 13 inches at its widest point. Sauté the chicken, pork, and sausage until lightly browned (they should not be fully cooked). Remove to a warm platter. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper, and sauté until lightly softened. Add the tomato and parsley and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the paprika, then add the rice and coat well with the pan mixture.
4 Add the hot broth to the pan and bring it to a boil. Taste for salt and stir in the remaining half of the chickpeas and the reserved chicken and pork (add the sausage later). Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, about 5 minutes.
5 Transfer to the oven for about 10-12 minutes in a gas oven or 15-20 minutes in an electric oven, until the rice is almost al dente. Remove from the oven.
6 Raise the oven temperature to 550 °F. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, adding a little salt. Pour the egg over the rice and garnish with the sausage. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until the egg coating is golden brown. Remove to a warm spot and let it sit, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. To serve, cut in wedges and transfer to individual plates using a spatula.
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