Arròs amb fessols i naps (rainbow chard, beans and rice soup)

 

A wondefrul combination of the flavoursome veggie stock with the mouthful of rice, crunchy chard and buttery beans.


Hola!

Today I bring you a lovely rice soup typical from Valencia: arròs amb fessols i naps. In English, I have translated it for you as: rainbow chard, beans and rice soup. It’s a wonderful combination of the flavoursome veggie stock with the mouthful of rice, crunchy chard and the buttery beans. Grains, legumes and greens, quite a complete and filling meal, I’d say! This is such a simple soup you won’t believe it. As my father said, a crowd pleaser with little spent. Cheap and easy.

In the UK, it is more common to use basmati or long grain rice, due to a huge Asian influence. In Spain, the only rice we’ve always known is what it is called in the UK “paella rice”. For us, it is simply “rice”. The variety is called bomba, because it’s round like a bomb when cooked, but we don’t bother to say it because we know we mean that variety. It is funny how in the UK it is only used to make paella, but stop the presses! You can use this rice for whatever you want, in this case, a soup. Dust off that paella rice you had in your cupboard from that once that you ventured to make paella and use for this lovely soup.

Whereas long grain rice goes very well for curries and fried rice, paella rice is excellent for a soup, because it soaks up the stock like a sponge, leaving it plump and tasty. This is a double-edged sword, because if you cook it and you want to keep it in the fridge, you will realise soon that the rice absorbs all the stock and it gets so soft that it breaks. However, I have come up with a loophole so that you can batch cook this soup without the nasty consequences. Wanna know how? Keep reading!


PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

The original recipe is made with meat stock. People also add pork and blood sausage. But when the times where not as plentiful as now, the lower classes in Valencia fed from this, since it was made with local ingredients that they could afford and things they had at home. Therefore, I didn’t really have to veganise it. I just asked my father for his recipe, since this is what he cooks for me when I go to Spain, and made a couple of adjustments.

I have swapped plain chard for rainbow chard, simply for the sexy pics. You can use plain chard or even spinach, if you wish. I like chard because even when cooked, it keeps whole and it has a nice bite, adding more layers to the dish. I find it unfair that it is so underrated, so this was my chance to redeem poor old chard and make it shine. Rainbow chard can be found in large supermarkets, and plain chard is even easier to find.


ARRÒS AMB FESSOLS I NAPS (RAINBOW CHARD, BEANS AND RICE SOUP)



Serves: 4 people
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS

2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ripe tomato, grated pulp
1 swede, peeled and in small cubes
2x 400g cannellini beans cans
8 cups vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. saffron powder or 1/4 tsp. turmeric
400g paella rice
200g rainbow chard


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Spray some olive oil onto a large saucepan on a high heat and fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes until golden, then add the tomato pulp. season with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant.
  2. Add the swede to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the drained beans, stock and saffron powder, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. If you're going to eat the rice straight away, add the rice and cook for 5 minutes at high heat, then 5 minutes at medium-low. Chop the chard into small pieces, add it to the saucepan and cook for 5 more minutes (15 in total). Check at the end that the swede is soft.
  4. If you're batch cooking, don't add the rice and cook the stock until the swede is soft (20 minutes). Let it cool down and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Before eating, pour 500ml of the stock per person without any vegetables into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 100g rice per person and cook for 5 minutes at high heat, then 5 minutes at medium-low. Chop the chard into small pieces, add it to the saucepan and cook for 5 more minutes (15 in total). Reheat the beans and swede for 2-3 minutes in the microwave and add the rice onto it. 

Bon profit!