When I was growing up, it seemed we either had rice or potatoes every meal. Mom was a southern-style cook and we had lots of dishes with gravy, so naturally we needed one of those starches. When Mom cooked rice, she didn’t drop one of those Boil-in-Bags in the pot. She cooked a whole pack of rice. It was dirt cheap, like a quarter for a one-pound package and that makes a lot of rice. We often had leftovers with re-heated gravy, but when rice began to take over our refrigerator, we begged mom for Rice Pudding. It’s hard to beat a bowl of hot Rice Pudding with a little cream on top after a dinner of Southern Fried Chicken and mashed potatoes.
This week, I made a batch of Rice Pudding and it was as good as I remember.
Here is a verry simple recipe for Old Fashioned Rice Pudding. This is indeed a company-worthy dessert.
Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
2 cups long-grained, white rice
2 cups whole milk (not 2%)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 C raisins
Directions
In a large saucepan, add the rice, milk, sugar, salt and raisins. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until thickened, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Spoon into serving dishes. Serve warm with whipped cream if desired, but it’s pretty good cold, as well.
