NOT ANTONIA’S RICE PUDDING

 When my kids were in grade school, before there were school buses or school lunches and when the class hours ran from 9 am until 1 and 3 pm to 5, instead of bringing them home for lunch every day, I arranged for my two boys to eat with a family in the village, walking distance from school.

They loved Antonia’s meals, usually a sturdy soup or cocido followed by fish or filete con patatas fritas. Once or twice a week there was a postre other than fresh fruit. To this day, my kids, grown men, rave about Antonia’s arroz con leche, the Spanish version of rice pudding. 

Antonia used fresh goat’s milk for the pudding when she could get it. Otherwise bottled cow’s milk was used. Cooked with a half-cup of rice to six cups of milk, the pudding became a thick, sweet slurry flavored with lemon and cinnamon. Antonia used sugar, although honey or molasses are acceptable too. (There’s a recipe for pueblo-style rice pudding here. )

The cinnamon-lemon combo is ubiquitous in Spanish desserts, going all the way back to Moorish times. But this is not Antonia’s rice pudding. I’ve made it with vanilla instead of cinnamon!

Vanilla pods, Saõ Tomé. (Photo by Ben Searl)

Ben returned from a surf trip to Saõ Tomé (equatorial island off the west coast of Africa) with a packet of vanilla pods which grow there. 

Vanilla is the seed-bearing pod of a type of orchid, native to Mexico. With the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in 1519 vanilla was brought back to Spain along with chocolate.  Its name comes from the Spanish word, vaina, meaning “pod.” 

The plant never flowered and produced in Spain as it needs equatorial heat and humidity. And, it has to be pollinated by hand as there are no Mexican bees to do the job. Besides Mexico, vanilla is grown in Madagascar, Tahiti, and a few other places, such as Saõ Tomé. It is picked green and dried for several months which turns the pods almost black. 

Even though vanilla is pervasive in desserts everywhere in the world, it never really caught on in Spanish cooking.

I’ve added another non-traditional ingredient to the arroz con leche, fresh cherries, now in season. That was inspired by a promotional recipe published by El Corte Inglés.

Non-traditional rice pudding--arroz con leche--flavored with vanilla and with fresh cherries and toasted almonds.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Arroz con Leche

Use medium-short grain rice (also called “round grain”) for the pudding. That’s the same kind of rice that is used for paella.

Half a vanilla pod is sufficient for this pudding. Store the other half wrapped in plastic film in a jar. Use the whole pod if you want an intense vanilla flavor. Scrape out the dark, sticky seeds on the inside of the pod and add them to the milk. Add the scraped pod to the milk too. After infusing the pod in milk, remove the pod. The seeds—flecks of black—stay in the milk. 

Toasted sliced almonds garnish the pudding.

Serves 6

6 cups whole milk

½ vanilla pod

Strip of lemon zest

½ cup medium-short grain rice

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup sugar

8 ounces cherries + a few for garnish

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

¼ teaspoon olive or almond oil

Scrape seeds and pulp from pod.

Place the milk in a pan. Split the vanilla pod open lengthwise. Scrape out the sticky seeds on the inside and add them to the milk. Add the scraped pod and the lemon zest. Place on high heat and bring the milk just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the vanilla infuse 10 minutes. Strain the milk, discarding the pod and zest. The flecks of vanilla seed stay in the milk.

Add the rice and salt to the milk. Heat on medium until the milk begins to barely bubble. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is very soft and the milk thickens, about 45 minutes.

Microwave-toasted almonds.

Add the sugar to the rice. Cook 5 minutes more, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn’t scorch on the bottom.

While the rice is cooking, remove stems and pits from the cherries. Slice or chop them (makes about 1 cup). 

Mix the slivered almonds with the oil. Spread them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on High 1 minute. Remove and stir the almonds. Repeat twice more or until the almonds are pale gold. Cool them. 

Add the cherries to the rice and cook 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Ladle the pudding into 6 dessert cups or a single serving bowl. Cover the top of the cups with plastic wrap and chill them for at least 2 hours.

To serve, garnish the pudding with whole cherries and scatter the toasted almonds on top.