Recipe

Step 1: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon without including any of the white pith. Put the rhubarb and lemon zest in a non-reactive bowl. Add the sugar, mix through and let macerate for 6 hours, stirring occasionally. The sugar will draw out the moisture from the rhubarb stems to form a syrup.

Step 2: Pour the goat’s milk into a paella pan. Add the lemon zest and sultanas (golden raisins), and bring to a boil. Add the rice, spreading it evenly over the bottom of the pan, and reduce the heat to as low as possible. If you have a timer, set for 45 minutes and continue cooking very gently. Do not allow to boil.

Step 3: After 20 minutes, cut both goat’s cheeses in half, so that you have 4 fairly thin rounds of cheese. Add to the pan, and stir gently for 5 minutes. Drain the rhubarb, reserving the syrup, and add to the pan, stirring until thoroughly mixed through. After another 20 minutes, when the rice is almost cooked, stir in the reserved sugar syrup. Remove and discard the lemon zest, and distribute the pieces of rhubarb and sultanas as evenly as possible through the rice.

Step 4: When the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it is in direct contact with the entire surface of the rice. Transfer the paella pan to the refrigerator and chill until needed. Just before serving, decorate the top of the paella with the preserved cherries.

See more recipes from Alberto Herráiz.

Reprinted with permission from Alberto Herráiz’s Paella (2011 Phaidon).