Ascension Casero recipe: Baked rice in pumpkin
INGREDIENTS:
STEP BY STEP
1.- Clean the outside of the pumpkin
The first step to make this rice is to prepare our container and for that we need to empty our pumpkin, the best way is to open it in a circle at the top.
2.- Empty the raw pumpkin
Once opened, with a spoon, begin to empty the inside of the meat and petites. Recommended to leave a thickness of 1 - 1/2 centimeters thick. Remember to save the meat and seeds, we can use them for other recipes.
3.- Cook the pumpkin at 180 degrees
Once you have your pumpkin empty, put it in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. When it is, leave it inside to keep it warm.
4.- Boil the meat
In a separate pot, cook the meat with 1/2 of a cinnamon stick and salt. When it is cooked, drain it and reserve the broth.
5.- Fry the meat, garlic, potatoes, tomato and pumpkin cubes
While the meat is cooking, brown the heads of garlic, the pumpkin cubes, the tomatoes, potatoes and the meat that we had cooked. Be warned to cover the pan, as it splatters a lot!
6.- Pearl the rice
Pearlize the rice with paprika and a pinch of food coloring or saffron. If saffron is used, we infuse it into the broth.
7.- We put all the ingredients together inside the pumpkin
With all our ingredients prepared, we add the chickpeas and rice and mix, when it is well mixed we introduce it into the pumpkin. Following this we place the meat, potatoes, blood sausage, tomato and heads of garlic.
8.- Add the broth and adjust the salt.
We add the hot broth and add salt, keep in mind that it will be a little higher than normal, since this rice should not be salty, but sweet.
9.- We put it in the oven
The amount of broth that we will use will be somewhat less than usual, because the pumpkin releases water and the cooking time is lengthened due to this.
We will remove 1 part of the broth from what we usually use for this type of rice and put it in the oven at 200 ºC
10.- Pumpkin dessert
If you want to take advantage of all the parts of the pumpkin, we leave you this recommendation that you can use with the dish: Grill the head cover after you have finished with the rice, it will be perfect as a dessert.
Baked rice in pumpkin
With your roasted pumpkin and your baked rice, you can finally enjoy this baked pumpkin rice, delicious and warm, in addition to having an unmatched presentation for the enjoyment of your diners.
Ascensión Casero
It all started as a hobby, but today it has become his true passion.
He studied at the Tourism Center of Valencia, where he specialized in rice and new technologies related to this grain. Over the years, he gained experience in preparing various rice dishes and working with different rice varieties.
His specialty focuses on the preparation of dry and creative rice dishes, both using gas and wood fire, for which he has received several awards in professional competitions in the Valencian Community, where he has had the opportunity to promote Valencian culture and traditions through cooking.
Currently, he is part of the Original Paella team, cooking giant paellas and traditional stews for various events.