Portuguese Rice Pudding: Arroz Doce

There are various recipes for rice pudding the world over, and this is one from Portugal. I checked several recipes for this Portuguese rice pudding, which is common for holidays and other special events in Portugal, and the Portuguese recipes can vary somewhat; for instance, a smaller number of recipes use orange peel and juice instead of lemon peel and juice, and an even smaller number of recipes use a few drops of vanilla, but from what I found, mainly the lemon peel (or orange peel) is left to flavor the rice on its own.

 

If you use non-salted butter, you can add a good pinch of salt to the milk while it's heating. This recipe cooks the rice more than partially, but finishes cooking the rice in the sweetened and lemon flavored milk.

 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

 

1 cup arborio rice

1 1/2 cups water 

2 cups milk (I use 1 cup of canned evaporated milk, not condensed milk,  and 1 cup regular milk)  

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (to desired sweetness preference)

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons salted butter (divided use)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon, grated or finely chopped

ground cinnamon for topping large serving bowl or for individual servings

 

To a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 cups of water plus 2 tablespoon (salted) butter. Stir and bring to a boil, then add the rice and turn the heat to very low and cover the pan; let cook for 15 minutes, by which time the rice should be almost done; sort of "al dente." If so, remove the rice from the heat. This step overlaps with the rice cooking; so, while the rice is cooking, in another somewhat larger heavy-bottomed pan, heat the milk over medium heat. After it is no longer cold, add the sugar and stir well to dissolve it. Let the milk come just to the point of simmering, and then add another tablespoon of butter and the lemon zest, stir well again. Turn the heat down to low or very low and add the rice to the milk mixture. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add some of the hot milk and cooked pudding and keep whisking to temper the eggs, then whisk it into the pudding, along with the lemon juice. Traditionally, the Portuguese use ground cinnamon to make a design on top of the pudding, with religious people often making a cross, but stencils are sometimes used for various designs. If you're like me, and you're not terribly artistic, you can just sprinkle a little ground cinnamon on top of the large dish used to serve the pudding, or onto the tops of individual servings (as in the photos, below). 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Vicinity-This word is related to the "-wick" and "-wich" of place names (such as in Warwick and Norwich), both "-wick" and "-wich" are from the Germanic roots of English, but Old Germanic had borrowed the source from Latin in ancient times, and "vicinity" is related to "villa," another Latin derived word, but borrowed by English from Italian, and to "village" and to "villain," both Latin-derived words, but borrowed by English from French. "Vicinity" goes back to Indo European "weik," which had the notion of "settlement, house, abode:" thus also, "villa, village." This gave Latin "vicus" meaning "series or collection of homes;" thus also, "a village." This then produced the Latin adjective "vicinus," which was used as a noun for "area in close proximity;" thus also, "a neighborhood;" thus also adjectivally, "neighboring," and this gave Latin the noun "vicinitas" (accusative: 'vicinitatem'), meaning "neighborhood, the area near to a given point;" thus, "nearness." Latin-based French took the word as "vicinité" and English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s, initially with the "nearness" meaning. The word is likely more of a borrowing from French, but with Latin influence, although it could be the other way around.  

Indian Rice Pudding: Chawal Ki Kheer

Long grain rice, like basmati rice, is commonly used for this dessert dish. Unlike the rice pudding we generally make in the U.S., which is firmed up; that is, "set," the Indian-style is more fluid, but not totally so, and it is usually served while still warm. I checked probably about 25 recipes for this dessert, and all of them used almonds, while some also used pistachios or cashews, and a couple used both pistachios and cashews. I like raisins, and the Indian recipes all kind of skimp on raisins, in my opinion, so I add a little more to my own recipe, but you can always tailor things to your own taste. 

 

You can use store bought ground cardamom or grind you own cardamom (I use a mortar and pestle). 

Rosewater is available in supermarkets or spice shops. It isn't really expensive.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed, then soaked in water for 30 minutes

12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) evaporated milk; that is, 1 can (NOT sweetened condensed canned milk)

2 1/2 cups regular whole milk

5 tablespoons sugar

8 to 10 saffron threads

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1 tablespoon chopped cashews

1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons golden raisins

(optional) 1 or 2 teaspoons rosewater

 

Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes. Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan over low heat, stirring often, until the milk boils. In a small cup or dish, add 2 tablespoons hot milk and the saffron threads and set it aside to steep. Drain the rice and add the rice to the hot milk, stir well. Keep the heat low and let the rice cook. After 10 minutes, add the sugar and ground cardamom and stir well to mix; continue cooking, stirring occasionally. After another 4 to 5 minutes, add the chopped nuts and golden raisins, stir well again, then add the saffron/milk mixture and mix well again. Cook until the rice is very tender, by which time the dish should be fairly thick and creamy. Stir in the rosewater (if using) and remove from the heat. Let sit for a few minutes, stir and serve warm; refrigerate unused portion.  

 

 

  

WORD HISTORY:

Tally-This word, used as both a noun and as a verb, is related to "tailor," "detail," "retail" and "entail," all words of Latin-derivation and borrowed by English via French. "Tally" is of unknown origin, and its history is somewhat difficult, but Latin had the noun "talea," meaning "a narrow or slender piece of wood;" thus, "a stick, a twig, a rod," which passed to Latin-based Old French as "taille" meaning "a stick with marks cut into it to show an amount or amounts (usually for debts, including taxes;" thus, 'an account')." (Note: The idea of cutting marks into sticks, or even into bones, was long used by humans as a way of keeping accounts, until it eventually began to be replaced by written records.) Old French "taille" eventually was often, but not always, rendered as "tallie" in the French that had been carried to England by the Normans. English borrowed the word in the mid 1400s with the same meaning. Over time, other meanings were added like, "a recording of points/goals in sporting events" (mid 1800s), and also "a point or a goal in some competition." The verb also came about in the 1500s, "seemingly" from the Latin verb "talliare," one of the meanings of which was "to tax;" thus, initially the verb "tally" meant "to keep an accounting of taxes owed and paid," with the meaning then broadening beyond keeping tax records to simply keeping records. The verb followed the noun in the mid 1800s with the sports/competition usage "to record points/goals," and with the actual "to achieve a point or goal in a competition."     

Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is typically a dessert dish in the United States, but some cultures use it as a main course, and there are various recipes. Rice likely moved out of Asia into the Middle East and then into Europe through Greece and later by way of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Where rice pudding developed is really not known, but certainly China would be on any list of possibilities, although what would actually have qualified as being "rice pudding" is unclear, but maybe rice with some spices and perhaps some sweetener? After all, rice pudding is generally a simple dish. Cinnamon is one of the common spices used in many countries for rice pudding, as well as nutmeg sometimes, and on the Indian subcontinent cardamom is also often used. Some people make rice pudding by cooking the rice in water, while elsewhere the rice is cooked in milk, as in German speaking countries, where the dish is literally called "Milchreis" ("milk rice"), and it is usually topped with sugar and cinnamon. On Puerto Rico coconut milk is part of the recipe.*    

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 cups milk **
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
bare pinch of salt
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
(optional) 1/3 cup raisins 
some sugar and cinnamon for garnish on each serving

In a sauce pan, add the rice, sugar and salt, then add the milk, cream and vanilla. Mix well and place over medium heat for just a couple of minutes (DO NOT BOIL), then reduce heat to low or very low (you can continue reducing the heat as the rice cooks, if you prefer), cover and cook until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking (because this is cooking with milk and cream, and not with water, it can stick easily). (Optional) If you'd like, you can stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and/or 1/3 cup of raisins; otherwise, just top each serving with some sugar and a little cinnamon. This can be served warm or chilled. If chilled, you can serve it with whipped cream, which is common in the United States.

* For Puerto Rican rice pudding; that is, Arroz con Dulce, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/04/puerto-rican-rice-pudding-arroz-con.html

** I use 1 cup of evaporated (canned) milk and 1 cup of regular milk, but if you use evaporated milk, the rice will not be completely white, if that matters to you. 

WORD HISTORY:
Hornet-This word is related to "horn," and it goes back to Indo European "k(h)er," which meant, "horn, head." This seems to have developed only in West Germanic, as "hurznuto," meaning, "hornet."^ This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "hyrnet/hyrnetu," with the same meaning and this then became "hornet." The other West Germanic languages have: German "Hornisse," Low German "Hoornk," Dutch "hoornaar." I could not find a form in Frisian, although presumably there once was such a form, and the North Frisian dialect has "horn" and the West Frisian dialect has "hoarn," both meaning "horn," the base of the word "hornet."     

^ Apparently from the antennae, but there is some speculation that it is from the buzzing sound and its connection to "horn," the instrument, which literally were animal horns in ancient times, and some Germanic forms of long ago did use. I favor the antennae idea. 

Puerto Rican Rice Pudding (Arroz con Dulce)

This recipe isn't really based upon any one recipe, but the idea came from a cookbook I have: "A Taste of Puerto Rico," by Yvonne Ortiz, Dutton, a division of Penguin Books, 1994

Ingredients (for 6 servings):

2 cups short grain white rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 13.5 oz (or 14 oz) can coconut milk
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup golden raisins, soaked in a little Puerto Rican rum, light or dark, for about an hour
can add shredded coconut & top with ground cinnamon

In a sauce pan, heat the water to boiling with the salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, add the rice and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Be aware, the rice will not be done, but do not add more water! Add the condensed milk, the evaporated milk, the coconut milk. Strain the raisins, saving the rum for someone who might like it (I can't imagine who ... hic... 'scuse me!). Add the raisins and stir well to combine. Simmer until all the milk combo is absorbed. Let cool a bit, then chill. Sprinkle each serving with some shredded coconut and ground cinnamon on top, followed further by some whipped cream. If you still have some rum left over from soaking the raisins, woo woo!

WORD HISTORY:
Clove-There are two words of this spelling in English, and in spite of their similarity in meaning, they are from different sources, ^ but this is the name for the spice. It goes back to Indo European "klehw," which meant "peg, spike." This gave Latin "clavus," which meant "nail." French, a Latin-based language, had the term, "clou de girofle" (a type of flower, whose bud bore a resemblance to a nail). English borrowed the word as "clowes" in the 1400s. The whole dried spice bud got the name, as it resembled a nail.

^ For the other form "clove," the past tense form of "cleave," and meaning "a section of garlic," this is the link to the article where that word is covered: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-we-got-with-obamapart-two-bankers.html