A very elegant dessert that is quite common at a Cuban family dinner. 
6 servings 



Growing up in Cuba was hard for my dad, they had nothing. My abuelita and Abuelito worked 4 jobs each to pay the bills and send my dad and his brother to school. The food was always rationed and more times than none my dad went to bed starving. He ate everything they would give him but the food just kept disappearing. My Abuelita would rummage through the fridge and cupboards to find anything to feed her 2 sons. Ninos, we may not have much but we have each other, it doesn't matter about the food, its about the people surrounding us she always used to say. 

One day while she was watching the only channel they had on the TV, she saw a recipe with only 5 ingredients which were super easy to find in Cuba. Arroz con leche, Rice pudding. Throughout the following days she collected all the ingredients. She got all the rice she needed, she had bottled water, a bit of sugar, milk from her cow, and a lime from her tree in the backyard. She didn’t remember the recipe exactly but she did her best and made something that would become a staple in my dads life for many years to come. After many years, and after moving to Canada my dad has tweaked the recipe to perfection and from then on the Amador family has been known for our famous rice pudding. 

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Ingredients: 
- ½ cup white rice 
- 1 ½ cups water
- Zest of lemon, grated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cups milk
​- Salt to taste 
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon to taste 


Instructions: 

  1. Rinse rice, and boil in a large saucepan with water, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick for approximately 20 minutes, until rice is soft and fully cooked.
 
  1. Reduce the heat, and add the milk*, salt, sugar, and vanilla. Continue to cook over medium low heat for approximately 1 hour, until mixture thickens. Stir frequently, so the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. When it reaches your desired consistency, remove from heat. 
 
  1. Take out the cinnamon stick, and transfer pudding to individual dessert bowls. Let cool to room temperature, or refrigerate. Sprinkle it with cinnamon at time of serving.

* NOTE - You can achieve a wonderful flavor and texture if you use more than one type of milk. Instead of just whole milk, try using equal parts evaporated, sweetened condensed, and whole milk.  





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Bella Amador