With a satisfying tomato flavor, some heat, and a lot of smokiness, this Tomato Chorizo Rice is one you won’t easily forget. Pair with refreshing Non-Alcoholic Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer and it’s a perfect combo!
If there is one good thing staying at home during the pandemic has brought, it’s that I developed a real love for cooking. I used to be solely obsessed with baking, but now I’ve literally fallen in love with cooking as well. I know it’s not that obvious yet because I haven’t shared much of the things that I’ve cooked on the blog, but there are a ton of recipes lined up. If only you can see into my computer lol.
The truth is, I haven’t had much time to edit stuff, because if there is one negative I have developed in the last two years it’s that I have become sh*t at work-life balance. Everyday feels like it’s devoted to work because it’s almost like my brain is telling me there’s nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. And though it feels wrong to complain because Lord knows so many people have lost their jobs and businesses, not having opportunities to unwind and time to do my thing is really burning me out.
As as a new year approaches, I’m determined to kick out this newfound bad habit and bring back some old ones. Life is all about balance right? But first, I think I need to take a nice, long Christmas break so that I can be in a good headspace to start 2022. I’ll probably take a rest starting December 23rd.
But before that, I actually have a handful of things I want to share. I am still determined to end the year filling the blog with holiday-appropriate things, and I am also determined to get one non-sweets recipe in before doing my Christmas series. Which brings me to this Tomato Chorizo Rice recipe.
I had been meaning to post this a while back because I made it with some Spanish chorizo I received from Maker PH. I liked their product so much I wanted to give them a little shout out, but the posting schedule just got delayed and delayed and delayed… I can only shake my head at myself. In any case, the chorizo was kind of spectacular. It added so much flavor and smokiness to this Tomato Chorizo Rice which is a simple paprika and tomato-forward rice dish at its core.
This dish us actually called Tomato Chorizo Paella by its original author, but since I don’t want to be attacked by people who actually know how to make paella, so I have opted to call it Tomato Chorizo Rice. Regardless of semantics, this is delicious!
To pair with this tomato-ey and spicy dish, I made Non-Alcoholic Rosemary Grapefruit Spritzer. That is such a mouthful, but this is a pretty good drink so I don’t mind. A spritzer is simply a drink mixed with carbonated water, usually wine, but since this is non-alcoholic we’re using juice.
You do have to cook rosemary syrup for this though, so there’s a bit of extra work. But it’s totally worth it. The rosemary syrup adds this nice flavor to the drink that’s really hard to explain– kind of like a slightly woodsy, lemon-y sort of flavor. It brings out the citrusy quality of the grapefruit juice even more.
The grapefruit juice I used isn’t fresh and isn’t even technically the top of the line kind, but it was good enough to make this drink turn into one of my new simple all-time favorites. If you like carbonated drinks, the sparkling water here adds a bubbly-ness that makes it even more satisfying.
Recipe notes
https://youtu.be/RuA2rpe6sqQ
- USE GOOD CHORIZO. Because the Tomato Chorizo Rice makes use of only a few ingredients, you will pretty much be able to taste each and every one of them. Therefore, using good chorizo will make a difference and will add to the deliciousness of this dish. As mentioned, I used chorizo I received from Maker PH and while I recommend it, feel free to use your favorite.
- ARBORIO RICE IS PREFERABLE. I admit I haven’t tried this recipe with any other rice but it’s really fantastic with arborio. Arborio rice is great in general, which is why I always have some in my pantry.
- INVEST IN GOOD SPICES. Since this dish relies a lot on the seasonings, especially on the paprika, do yourself a favor and purchase a good brand. (Note: Good doesn’t always equal expensive.) As for the saffron, I won’t tell you to buy expensive saffron but purchase something that others have used and reviewed positively.
- USING A VESSEL YOU CAN TRANSFER FROM STOVE TO OVEN MAKES IT EASY. If you don’t have anything that works on both stove and oven, what you can do is follow all the stovetop instructions, and then transfer the rice and stock into a baking dish before topping with the tomatoes. Pop in the oven for the same amount of time.
- DON’T FORGET TO USE TOP AND BOTTOM HEATING. Since I normally only bake with my bottom heat on, I forgot to turn the top heating on for this dish. It took me a lot longer to finish cooking it, so please don’t forget this little tidbit if you want to have a meal in 40 minutes.
Tomato Chorizo Rice
Ingredients
- 450 grams ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into thick wedges
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- Large pinch of saffron threads
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 115 grams Spanish chorizo, diced
- 3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock, warm
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Place tomatoes in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Into an ovenproof 10- or 12-inch skillet, add in the remaining olive oil. Heat over medium-high. Add onions and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, saffron, and paprika. Cook for a minute more until vegetables are evenly coated. Add rice and toast, stirring occasionally, until shiny, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the chorizo and the stock, stirring until just combined. Put tomato wedges on top of rice and pour in the remaining juices from the bowl of tomatoes.
- Put pan in oven with top and bottom heating on, then roast, undisturbed, for 15 to 20 minutes. Check to see if rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid. If not, return pan to oven and cook for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, if rice looks too dry but is not quite done, add a small amount of stock or water.
- When rice is ready, turn off oven and let pan sit inside for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and give the rice a little stir to fluff up. Sprinkle with basil or parsley, then serve right away with some Non-Alcoholic Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer (recipe below)!
Notes
- USE FRESH ROSEMARY. Dried rosemary doesn’t have the same flavor profile as fresh so it will not work the same in the syrup. Try to source fresh rosemary instead. (Or better yet buy a plant! You’ll find yourself loving being able to just snip a sprig or two off when you need them.)
- BOXED OR FRESH GRAPEFRUIT JUICE IS FINE. It’s easier to use boxed juices but try to pick ones that are natural rather than artificially flavored. I prefer no-pulp like the one Ceres makes, but the slightly pulpy Florida’s Natural will work fine. If using freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, make sure to sweeten it a little.
Non-Alcoholic Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzer
Ingredients
For the Rosemary Syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
For the drink (per serving)
- 1/3 cup grapefruit juice, I like to use the Ceres brand of grapefruit juice from the store
- 3 Tablespoons rosemary syrup, or more according to taste
- Soda water
- Ice
Instructions
Make the syrup
- In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine all the syrup ingredients and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pass through a sieve to remove the rosemary. Let cool completely and store in a jar with a lid.
To assemble the drink
- Into a serving glass filled with ice, add in grapefruit juice and 3 Tablespoons of rosemary syrup. Top with soda water. Garnish with rosemary and grapefruit slices if desired. Adjust syrup as desired.
Notes
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