No 457: Rizogalo

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

8 cups of whole milk
1 cup of raw rice
¾ cup of sugar
4 tbs of butter
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
ground cinnamon and clove

Combine milk, rice, sugar and butter in a large pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick, approximately one hour. Add cinnamon stick and cloves after a half hour.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Beat two eggs; temper. To temper the eggs, add 1 tsp of hot milk to beaten eggs and mix. Continue to add hot milk to eggs until they are creamy and warm. This method will keep eggs from curdling when added to the hot milk. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into a serving container to cool. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon; I like to add ground clove as well.


My mother used to make this rice pudding when I was growing up, and as delicious as it was warm the night it was ready, it was even better cold the next morning. It was the only time we got anywhere near sugar for breakfast, and it's still the only sweet breakfast food I really enjoy.

While Greeks claim rice pudding as their own, almost all other Middle Eastern nations will also insist that they invented a sweetened rice pudding, and every country has their own version. The only difference between all these national varieties-we Greeks love cinnamon (and I happen to adore clove), while Persians prefer rosewater and Arabs like ginger and anise.

Although medium grain white rice, Aborino or Carnaroli rices used for making risotto, produce an immensely creamy pudding. It's a little more expensive than a bag of Goya but I think it's worth the cost.

Kalí óreksi!

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