Skip to main content

Pork Feast Paella

Pork belly and chorizo paella served on a plate.
Photo by Uyen Luu

Pork Feast Paella is a dish based on arroz de matanza, a recipe from days gone by, when no one had a fridge and you had to use the whole animal every time you slaughtered one. Any cut of pork can be used in this paella—just how it was made back then.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Paella' by Omar Allibhoy. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4

Ingredients

Scant ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

150

g (5 oz.) pork belly, cut into lardons

150

g (5 oz.) mini chorizo sausages

150

g (5oz.) smoked bacon

3

shallots, quartered

6

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1

tsp. sweet smoked paprika

1

tomato, grated

1

bay leaf

0

.4 g (large pinch) saffron

2

sprigs of thyme

12

cups water

2

cups Spanish paella rice

Salt, to taste

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a paella pan over high heat, add the olive oil, and fry all the meats and shallots for 10 minutes.

    Step 2

    Add the garlic, closely followed by the paprika and grated tomato, and cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste. Add the bay leaf, saffron and thyme, pour in the water, and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.

    Step 3

    Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the rice and stir to distribute it evenly. Cook over a high heat for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 9 minutes, without stirring. Let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before eating.

Image may contain: Advertisement, Poster, Food, and Meal
Excerpted with permission from Paella by Omar Allibhoy published by Quadrille Publishing, July 2023. Buy the full book from Amazon or Hardie Grant.