Baked Calasparra Rice with Spicy Sausage

, from Issue #72. May, 2017
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Baked Calasparra Rice with Spicy Sausage

We’ve baked our rice in individual-sized paella pans, but use a 30cm ovenproof sauté pan or paella pan if desired. 

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

400 grams spicy lamb sausages, skins removed (I used merguez)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
500 grams crown or butternut pumpkin, peeled, diced 2cm pieces
1 cup calasparra rice
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
3½ cups chicken stock
400-gram tin whole cherry tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve
garlic aioli and micro
salad leaves, optional

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Break the sausages into walnut-sized pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and quickly brown the sausage pieces. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Don’t wash the pan. Add the onion, garlic, paprika and rosemary with a good pinch of salt to the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes.  

Stir in the pumpkin and rice, then the parsley, stock and the tomatoes with their juice. Season and bring to the boil. Divide the mixture evenly between 4 shallow baking dishes or individual paella pans and nestle in the sausages. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. 

To serve: Top the rice with a spoonful of aioli and a few micro salad leaves, if using. Serves 4.