Rice and Beans

-

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • EVOO, for drizzling
  • 12 ounces Spanish chorizo, diced into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup broken spaghetti
  • 1 cup long-grain rice
  • 1 healthy pinch saffron (about 24 threads)
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 to 2 red Fresno chile peppers, sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/2 cup white wine
  • One 15-ounce can white beans or chickpeas, drained
  • 1 small bundle black or Tuscan kale, stripped and chopped or shredded
  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

  • Place the red pepper over a gas flame on the stovetop to char it or blacken it under the broiler. Then place in a bowl and cover. Once cool, peel, seed and chop.
  • Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add the chorizo and render for a few minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of EVOO and the butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the pasta to the pot and toast to golden. Add the rice and saffron and about 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and sprinkle with salt. Cover the pot and cook the rice to tender, 17 to 18 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, chiles and onions to the chorizo and cook to tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and deglaze the pan with the sherry. Next, add the beans, roasted peppers, kale, 1 cup of the chicken stock and a few grates of nutmeg and cover to wilt the greens.
  • Serve the rice in shallow bowls and top with the sausage and beans.
  • Cook's Note: Use the remaining 1/2 cup stock if the rice cooks too quickly or the chorizo and beans get too dry.