A Perry Original

Portuguese Rice Pudding

Sorry Margaret, I had to make just a few changes. I love family recipes that kinda leave you to fill in the blanks. Seriously! My grandmother would say about a handful of salt. Or while shaking the cumin over soup or beans about this much. This rice pudding recipe had no cooking instructions but I’ve heard (Thank you Melissa Lopes) slow cooking while stirring constantly is important. And in cast iron if you have it. I’m always looking for an excuse to buy kitchen tools. Take a look at my new cast iron.

Wish I could have used the dairy’s milk. Heavy with cream. So, when Margaret says whole milk she means it!

If you aren’t into sugar … know this is very low in sugar but still sweet. Yes, I could eat the whole thing! It has very little similarity to the rice pudding you find at your grocer’s. It’s very creamy and the rice is noticed but not chewy. Because Margaret (my second cousin btw) suggested as an option adding vanilla pudding mix I decided her recipe may require eggs if the pudding wasn’t used. And being a bit of a purist, trying not to use processed if I can get around it, I added egg yolks. Again, the cooking is crucial to thickening and helps with clumping tendencies too. Margaret very well could have made the recipe without eggs or pudding mix.

Always made for a very large crowd … I’ve made the recipe more suitable for a family of four or five. Continue reading