Rice with Swiss chard and beans (arròs amb bledes)

Rice with Swiss chard and beans is a spoon dish of pulses and vegetables, with the rice added at the end. This recipe makes it for four, with the quantities from Directo al Paladar, and explains what changes the result: the order in which everything goes into the pot and the timings, which differ with and without a pressure cooker.

The order of the pot

This is not made like a paella. Here the rice goes in last of all, and the beans first. First the beans, which are the toughest and need the longest; then the potato with the saffron; and finally the rice, uncovered, for 18 to 22 minutes. That is the order in the source, and it explains the timing of each stage.

The stew starts with a sofrito of onion and garlic softened over a low heat, with the paprika added without letting it burn and the grated tomato reduced for a couple of minutes. The chard goes in chopped and over a high heat until it wilts down. The source gives the option of a splash of oloroso or white wine; it is optional.

How much liquid

The recipe gives no proportion of water: it says only “cover with water”, so here the water is up to you. What it does specify is to knock the beans’ boil back with a splash of cold water and to cook with the lid on. When the rice goes in, see how the pot is doing and adjust the liquid to your pan. For the difference between dry, creamy and soupy rice, see the entry on creamy, soupy and dry rice; this dish has a broth bound by the potato.

Two timings: traditional and pressure cooker

Directo al Paladar gives both ways of cooking. The beans, covered, take 50 to 60 minutes the traditional way or 20 in a pressure cooker. The potato with the saffron takes 25 minutes or 10. The rice is the same in both cases. With a pressure cooker you save almost an hour; without one, the dish takes its two hours of cooking. If you are really short of time, the source suggests ready-cooked pulses from a jar or soaking the beans for longer.

What to serve with it

At the table, good bread for mopping up and, if you fancy it, cumin seeds and a touch of sherry or cider vinegar. For dessert, Valencian mandarins, as the source suggests. It is eaten straight away, after the five minutes’ rest.

The ingredients and why they matter

There are few, and each has its role. The white beans give the stew its body, which is why they go in first and cook the longest. The chard, chopped, supplies the greens and wilts as soon as you turn up the heat. The potato, peeled and chopped (300 g, one large or two medium), binds the broth while it cooks with the saffron. And the rice, round-grain and rinsed, is 150 g for four, not much rice, because here the pulses are in charge. If you are cooking for more people, scale all the quantities at once in the recipe card.

The wine, oloroso or white, is optional. With or without it, the dish suits anyone keeping Lent, according to the source.

How long it takes in total

Allow about two hours and twenty-five minutes: 20 of preparation, two hours of cooking and five of resting, plus the overnight soak. With a pressure cooker it drops considerably, because the beans go from an hour to twenty minutes, but the sofrito, the chard and the final rice take their time either way. It is a rice for a leisurely spoon-dish day, not for a dinner in a hurry.

How it differs from other pot rices

If you already know the rice with beans and turnips, the difference is clear: that one has pork, this one has no meat at all. And compared with the brothy rice with chicken and rabbit, this is a rice of pulses and the vegetable garden. If winter is your season for pot dishes, the olla gitana of the Vega Baja shares the idea of a spoon dish with seasonal vegetables.

For many guests

A pot rice like this is eaten freshly made. To work out how much rice per guest, there is the guide to how much rice per person. If there are lots of you, we cook for groups: paellas and show cooking.