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. 

LETTUCE WITH EVERYTHING

 

Caged lettuce.

I'm harvesting lettuce from the huerta! After two years without a garden, abandoned when rampaging wild boars dug up the tomatoes, I'm picking lettuce from a tiny fenced-in plot. With flowering tomato and squash plants, there is promise of more to come.

I’m making lettuce salad with everything! Tomatoes, peppers, onions, chickpeas, avocado, radish, corn, carrots, tuna, olives, capers, cheese, eggs--- But I am compartmentalizing these ingredients, setting up a “salad bar,” so that each person can add-on to please themselves. 

The freshly picked lettuce (6 cups, loosely packed, torn leaves) is simply dressed with ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar, and flaky salt. 

Lettuce with only extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.

On the side I’m serving a chopped salad of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, known as pipirrana, that can be heaped on the lettuce like a chunky dressing. Alongside are bowls of other accoutrements that guests can add as desired. 

This spread includes sliced radishes, corn kernels, mackerel fillets in olive oil, asparagus, artichoke hearts, olives, capers, grated carrots, chickpeas, queso fresco (fresh goat cheese), and fried croutons. 

Other salad additions: cooked green beans, cooked and diced potatoes, carrots, and beets; other legumes (butter beans are good); pasta, rice or other grains,  diced ham or chicken; anchovies, avocado, yogurt, pumpkin seeds, nuts, fruits.     

The "dressing" for the lettuce is the chopped salad of tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

Compose your own salad with a variety of ingredients.

Asparagus and goat cheese make a good combo.

Chickpeas, capers, radishes, crispy croutons, lots of cucumber in the chopped salad. Needs some mint and a dollop of yogurt to make it Middle Eastern in flavor.

No raw onions for this kid! He's picked the cherry tomatoes out of the chopped salad, added corn and shredded carrots.

Salad lunch, my everything salad--lettuce, mackerel, artichokes (garden), olives, radishes, chopped salad for dressing.

Tomato-Pepper Chopped Salad/Relish

Pipirrana

Vary the basic pipirrana, adding fewer or more ingredients. For example, if your people don’t like raw onion, just leave it out. Add corn kernels for more color and crunch. Capers for briny tang. All together they perk up the plain lettuce. 

Chopped parsley is the usual addition to pipirrana, but other fresh herbs can be used as well. Try basil, cilantro, mint, or tarragon.

The salad can be prepared in advance. Salt will draw the juices out of the chopped vegetables, creating the “dressing” for the lettuce. (The juices are also good sopped up with bread.) Save some of the fresh herbs to add immediately before serving.

1 cup chopped tomatoes or quartered cherry tomatoes

1 cup chopped green peppers

½ cup chopped red bell peppers

1 cup peeled and diced cucumber

½ cup chopped scallions or onions

1-2 minced cloves garlic

1-2 chopped hard-boiled eggs

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Chopped avocado (optional)

¼ cup corn kernels (optional)

2 tablespoons drained capers (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently. If not serving immediately, cover the salad and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Notes from a salad maven;  Your knife should be sharp enough to cut the skin of a tomato. Even after some honing, my everyday knife didn't make the cut. So, in honor of this salad, I brought out a new knife. What a pleasure! 

                                          -----------

With the next batch of lettuce from the huerta I’m going to try this take on gazpacho, Lechuga en caldo, lettuce in "broth," a recipe from Me Sabe a Málaga (“tastes like Málaga"). It’s chopped lettuce, olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice or vinegar combined in a bowl with cold water to cover the lettuce, a sprig of mint to garnish. Serve with bread for dunking.

More salad ideas:

Moroccan Tomato Salad (Pipirrana). 

Catalan Escarole and Cod Salad with Romesco (Xató).

Spanish Mixed Salad.

CHEESE, CONTINUED

 

Cheese board with Cabrales, a blue-veined cheese from Asturias. With bubbly cider, white wine and dry Sherry.

I wrote last week about an unusual cheese, Torta del Casar from Extremadura. I’ve got another cheese up my sleeve, so to speak, also purchased at the Feria Nacional de Queso in Trujillo. This one, Cabrales, comes from northern, green Spain, the Principado de Asturias.

Cabrales is the name of the region where the cheese is made, specified on the label as a protected denomination of origin. It can officially be made with cow’s milk or with a mixture of cow, goat and sheep milk. The cheese is matured in mountain caves where the Penicillium mold causes it to form blue-green veins throughout. Its aroma is intense, the texture is creamy, buttery. The flavor of Cabrales is salty, mildly acidic, somewhat piquant. 

Cabrales cheese can be served as an appetizer or dessert cheese accompanied by bread, crackers or toasts and fresh or dried fruits. It also lends itself well to combining with other ingredients for sauces or for embellishing variations on pizza or quiche. 

Creamy Cabrales sauce tops a burger with grilled mushrooms and sautéed piquillo peppers.

Cabrales sauce makes an interesting change for pasta with broccoli.

Cabrales whipped with yogurt for a tasty dip or dressing.

Slivers of Cabrales top a salad with pears, endive, and almonds. Serve the dressing separatley.

Burgers with Cabrales Blue Cheese Sauce

Burguer con Salsa Cabrales

Vegetarians can forgo the meat burger and pile the grilled mushrooms on buns with the piquillos and Cabrales sauce. 

Toasted buns

Grilled burgers

Oyster mushrooms grilled with garlic

Sautéd piquillo peppers and onions with red pepper flakes

Cabrales blue cheese sauce (recipe below)

Place mushrooms on buns and top with the sautéd piquillo peppers. Place a burger on the stack and spoon warm Cabrales sauce on the meat. (The burgers pictured are made with ground chicken thighs.)

Fettuccine with Broccoli and Cabrales Blue Cheese Sauce 

Pasta con Brócoli y Salsa Cabrales

Make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

Serves 4. 

8 ounces fettuccine noodles

Salt

2 cups broccoli florets

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup diced bacon

2 cloves sliced garlic

1 cup Cabrales blue cheese sauce (recipe follows)

Grating of fresh nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped chives

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water 1 minute. Drain and reserve.

Heat the oil in a large skillet with the bacon and garlic. When garlic starts to turn golden, add the broccoli and fry a few minutes. Stir in the Cabrales sauce. Season with nutmeg and pepper. Add salt to taste. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and heat. Add the cooked noodles and mix them well with the sauce. Serve garnished with chopped chives. 

Cabrales Blue Cheese Sauce 

Salsa de Queso Cabrales

Cabrales sauce is classic with entrecôte steak, but it’s also good with hamburgers, baked potato, or pasta. The cheese cooks with cream, making it quite rich and also tempering the greenish color of the mashed cheese. Season the sauce with any favorite herbs. Salt may not be needed at all. For a very thick sauce, let it cook slowly until reduced by half. 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

6 ounces Cabrales blue cheese (about 1 cup)

½ cup cider, white wine or Sherry

Pinch of rosemary or thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup cream

Heat the oil on medium and poach the shallots until softened, 5 minutes. Do not let them brown. Break up the cheese and mash it in the pan with the shallots. Add the cider and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Add the rosemary, pepper, and cream and cook on medium until the sauce is reduced by almost half, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Serve the sauce hot, warm, or room temperature. Store it covered and chilled.

Salad with Pears, Endive, and Cabrales Blue Cheese

Ensalada de Pera con Endibia y Cabrales

Serves 4

2 ounces Cabrales cheese

2 ripe, firm pears

3-4 Belgian endives

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup slivered red bell pepper

4 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts or almonds

Chopped chives to garnish

Cabrales Blue Cheese Dressing to accompany (recipe follows)

While cheese is still cold and firm, cut it into shards and let them come to room temperature.

Peel the pears, cut them in half, and remove cores. Slice them lengthwise. Chop or shred the endive leaves and divide them between 4 salad plates. Arrange the sliced pears on top. Scatter the red pepper and hazelnuts over the salads.

Whisk together the vinegar and oil and drizzle them over the salads. Divide the shards of Cabrales on top. Garnish with chives. Serve the salads accompanied by the Cabrales Blue Cheese dressing.

Cabrales Blue Cheese Dressing

Aliño con Cabrales

This non-cooked sauce makes a great dip with chips or vegetable dippers. Use it as a salad dressing as well. 

¼ cup chopped scallions

½ cup Greek yogurt

4 ounces Cabrales cheese

1 tablespoon dry Sherry

1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/8 pimentón picante de la Vera (smoked hot paprika) or cayenne

Combine all the ingredients in a mini-processor. Process until smooth. 

What to drink with Cabrales cheese? I asked Gerry Dawes, an expert on Spanish wines who knows his way around the cheeses of Asturia. 

"In Asturias, they drink cider, which goes very well with Cabrales.  White wines with good acidity to cut through the creaminess, richness and mold of Cabrales would be Albariño, but especially wines from Ribeiro.  Just like Sauternes with Roquefort, sweet wines are great.  Late-harvest Moscateles from Navarra, sweet Malvasias from the Canarias, Torres San Valentin semi-dulce from Penedès.   Also rosados from Navarra, which have good acidity and, of course, Cava, even the semi-dulce, though Brut Nature Cava will also be a good counterpoint.   The great sherries, from Manzanilla to Tio Pepe to the Palo Cortados and Olorosos.  I would also drink the excellent cream Sherries and Moscatel de Chipiona with Cabrales.” Thanks, Gerry, that’s a wide choice. And not a single red wine! 

(Photo:Gerry Dawes presenting Asturian cheeses at Alimentaria, Barcelona, 2010.) 

Gerry is the author of Sunset in a Glass, a collection of stories about life, food, wine and people in Spain.

Cabrales has its own cheese festival, the Certamen del Queso de Cabrales, in Arenas de Cabrales, Asturias, the last Sunday of August.

 More about Spanish cheeses:

Torta del Casar, Extremadura.

Málaga goat cheese.

Garrotxa cheese, Cataluña.

Manchego cheese.

How cheese is made.