Arroz con costra — Spain

Arroz con costra is a baked rice dish from the inland areas of the Valencian region in Spain. Short-grain rice is cooked with a mix of meats and legumes in an earthenware or metal dish, then covered with beaten egg and finished in the oven until a firm golden crust forms on top. Reports of this dish come mainly from towns in the interior of the province of Alicante, where it appears at family gatherings and local festivities. It is generally treated as a special-occasion dish rather than everyday fare, given the number of meats involved. The rice is cooked in a wide shallow dish with a sofrito of tomato and garlic, browned pieces of chicken, pork ribs, chorizo and black pudding, and often chickpeas, seasoned with saffron or paprika and moistened with hot broth. Once the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, beaten eggs are poured evenly over the surface and the whole dish is placed in a hot oven until the top sets into a firm, golden crust while the rice beneath stays moist. Reports describe the crust itself as the defining feature of this version, setting it apart from other baked rice dishes of the region that are finished without an egg topping, or where the egg is stirred through the rice rather than poured over it as a separate layer.