Food & Drink
A little taste of home - Rice Pudding
BY DAVID E BURKE
When it comes to cooking (and eating), you just can’t beat the dishes you had as a child. There’s something so lovely and comforting about those traditional dishes, so full of taste and goodness, perfected over generations. However, times have changed and so have palates, plus our knowledge of foods & intolerances. So is there a place in today’s ‘clean-eating’ world for old-fashioned cooking? We think so. Let’s look at a firm favourite. A teatime classic. Rice Pudding. There’s nothing quite like a hot bowl of creamy Rice Pudding on a cold and grey day (or any other day come to think of it). And there is nothing quite like the rich texture and delicious flavour you get from cooking it from scratch the way your mum did. Sounds delicious - so let’s get cooking!
Image by Marks & Spencer
Rice Pudding:
Ingredients: (Serves a family of 4)
50g or 2oz of Short Grain Pudding Rice
25g or 1oz of Demerara Sugar (Substitute 20ml Maple Syrup for a natural sugar alternative)
600 ml or 1pt of Milk (Whole, semi or skimmed, lactose free, coconut, nut or soya milk)
A knob or 1oz of Butter (optional for non-dairy or vegan)
Freshly grated Nutmeg (about a flat teaspoonful)
A sprinkle of Ground Cinnamon (optional)
* For larger appetites and larger portions just scale up on the ingredients.
Method:
Cooking time 1 to 1.5 hours. Bake in the oven at 160c
Preheat your oven. It’s also a good tip to put the rice in a jug and rinse it through a couple of times before you start. Next, place all of the ingredients together in a greased ovenproof dish. Size or shape doesn’t matter, as long as it is a couple of inches deep. Place it in the oven on the middle shelf and cook at 160c for 1 to 1 and a half hours. We found it best to start at a slightly higher heat – say 180c and then after half an hour, give it a stir around, sprinkle the nutmeg on the top, and then put it back in at 160c for about another 45 to 60 minutes. Have a peep in around that time and you can see if it is done. The top should have turned a golden to deep brown. All you will need to do then is let it cool for 10 minutes on a heatproof worktop. Then add a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve, in lovely big creamy dollops at the table and watch their mouths water and eyes light up in anticipation. So pud. So good.
Gluten Free? Yep. Short grain rice is totally gluten free. But check on the pack as always to be sure.
Vegan? Use Coconut milk or any other non-dairy, and non-dairy butter or spread.
Lactose free? Any Lactose free milk and butter brand will do.