Arroz de Tomate (Portuguese Soupy Tomato Rice)

Method

1. 1
   • olive oil5 tbsp
   • onion1
   • garlic3

   Sweat the onion and garlic — Warm the olive oil in a wide pot over medium-low heat and cook the onion for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is completely soft and translucent without taking any colour. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.

   ⏱8 min
2. 2
   • olive oil5 tbsp
   • tomato5
   • bay leaf2
   • salt1 tsp
   • black pepper½ tsp

   Melt the tomatoes down — Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and black pepper. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, breaking the tomatoes down with the spoon, until they collapse into a loose jam and the olive oil pools bright red at the edges of the pot.

   ⏱10 min
3. 3
   • olive oil5 tbsp
   • tomato5
   • white rice250 g

   Coat the rice in the red oil — Tip in the rice and stir it through the tomato for a minute, so every grain is coated in the red oil before any liquid goes in.

4. 4
   • white rice250 g
   • vegetable stock7 dl

   Simmer loose and soupy — Pour in the hot stock, bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. It is ready when the rice is tender but the pot still holds a loose, soupy sauce — this rice is meant to run on the plate, not stand up in it.

   ⏱15 min
5. 5
   • bay leaf2
   • fresh parsley2 tbsp
   • salt1 tsp

   Finish with parsley — Take out the bay leaves, taste for salt and stir in the parsley. Let it stand for 2 minutes off the heat, then spoon it out at once, alongside grilled fish, meat or vegetables — it thickens fast as it sits.

   ⏱2 min