It’s officially fall but we still have local tomatoes in the grocery store and they are gorgeous. They definitely won’t be around much longer and since everyone else in the world has moved on to pumpkin spice lattes and has slammed the door on summer, they are on sale! Get ‘em while the gettins’ good.
Tomatoes are often chopped and incorporated with the rice in a paella recipe but these are so pretty arranged on top, and their juices drip down to permeate the rice while the dish finishes. Just don’t let your spouse pick all of the yummy tomatoes off of the top before everyone gets some! It’s a real show stopper but is easy enough to make for a weeknight family meal. The warm spices from the chorizo make this a nice meal for the transition into chillier nights. It’s great. I think I’ll make it again asap.
What you need:
1 lb of fresh Spanish chorizo (about 4 links…remove the casing if they are linked)
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 small yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
4 garlic cloves
About 2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried parsley
Small pinch of saffron (6-8 threads)
2 cups of bomba rice or paella rice
4 cups of chicken broth
2-3 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
First preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare your ingredients by chopping the pepper and onion and slicing the garlic into thin slices. If you bought sausage links vs bulk sausage, the easiest way to remove the casing is by slicing the casing vertically and popping the meat out.
Now place a large oven safe skillet over medium heat on the stove top and add about 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, pepper, chorizo, and about a tsp of salt. Cook for around 10 minutes stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat. Add the smoked paprika and garlic and stir to combine. Add another pinch of salt. When the chorizo is fully cooked and the garlic smells fragrant add the rice (should just take a few minutes). Stir to get the rice coated with the oil and spices. After about 2 minutes add the parsley and chicken broth. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat slightly to bring it back down to a simmer. Add the saffron and stir once to ensure everything is mixed evenly. Simmer for around 10 minutes. Slice the tomatoes while the dish is simmering. At this point at least half of the broth should be absorbed. Turn off the heat and arrange the tomatoes on the top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle some salt on top of all the tomatoes and place it in the oven for about 15 more minutes. This will allow the tomatoes to bake nicely on top while also finishing the rice and hopefully getting a nice crust on the bottom of the dish. When all of the broth has been absorbed and the tomatoes are gently browned you can remove the dish. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.