Arroz con Leche: Spanish Rice Pudding
from Penelope Casas's Foods and Wines of Spain
12 cups milk
2 cinnamon sticks
Peel of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup short grain rice
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon anisette liquor
1 tablespoon brandy or Cognac
2 tablespoons butter
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In a heavy pot, bring milk to a boil with the cinnamon sticks, lemon peel and salt. Lower heat.
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Add rice and simmer slowly, uncovered. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.
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Cook for 3 hours. Stir every 10 minutes.
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Add sugar, anisette and brandy. Heat 10 minutes more. Pudding should be the consistency of soft custard.
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Add butter and stir until melted. Cool to room temperature, stirring.
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Sprinkle each serving with cinnamon and sugar.
Expand the Table
Add fiber: Use brown rice in this recipe. Toast the rice over medium heat in a dry skillet, stirring constantly until the rice turns golden and makes popping sounds. Remove to a dish and cool. The proceed with recipe. A big thanks to Paula Roy for her tip.
Make it dairy free: Use coconut milk (no extra sugar added) in place of milk
and non-dairy margarine in place of butter.
Diabetic friendly: Use stevia in place of sugar, following directions for measuring. Use brown rice for extra fiber.
For fun: Add golden or dark raisins.
