Recipe: Chef Chele Gonzalez's Arroz Gratinado
MANILA, Philippines — Be it Paella or other rice dishes, nobody does it better than Chef Chele Gonzalez, a Spanish chef and restaurateur who has become a celebrity chef in the Philippines because of his innovative food ideas and outstanding food he serves in his restaurants.
One of his former concept restaurants, ArroZeria, specialized in rice dishes, particularly Paella, Fideua (noodle paella) and other authentic Spanish dishes cooked the traditional way.
He shared the recipe for his Arroz Gratinado, a Paella variant with longganisa and broccoli, drizzled on top with Aioli mayonnaise, so you can whip it up in your own home.
But first, some reminders: In the absence of a paellera, you can use a stainless or nonstick pan. If you don’t have a torch to give the top of your paella a lightly charred effect, you can finish the paella in an oven set on “roast” but use a pan with a stainless steel handle and not a plastic one.
Happy cooking!
Arroz Gratinado
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsps. oil
100 grams Ilocos longganisa, sliced diagonally
200 grams Tinawon rice (Philippine heirloom rice)
3 grams minced garlic
30 grams Sofrito (tomatoes and onion sautéed together)
300 ml. beef stock
1 gram paprika
50 ml. saffron water
4 grams salt
50 grams broccoli florets, blanched
100 grams Aioli*
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat up the paellera. Add a little oil. Sear longganisa slices. Then remove from pan and set aside.
2. Using the same pan with oil, sauté rice, making sure every rice grain is coated with oil.
3. Push rice to the sides, add minced garlic in the center and sauté. Mix.
4. Add Sofrito, paprika and saffron water. Continue to stir.
5. Then pour in the beef stock. Season with salt.
6. Bring the stock to a boil, then simmer for 16 minutes to cook the rice.
7. Five minutes before the cooking time is over, top the paella with the longganisa slices and blanched broccoli florets. Arrange nicely.
8. Pipe top with Aioli mayonnaise (mayonnaise mixed with garlic).
9. Gratinate top with a salamander or blowtorch.
