January 28, 2010
Ukrainian Apple and Rice Pudding
Filed under: The Black Arts
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I try to make my Christmas kitchen table centerpiece as edible as possible since I offer it - all of it (the decorations, food and greenery used) - to local wildlife/the wild. This year's pièce de résistance was a pyramid of fruits (apples, pomegranates, lemons, tangerines & pears), fresh bay leaves, baked goods (a donut & cookie) and an assortment of nuts carefully layered in a wooden bowl. (I seriously DID NOT BREATHE when executing the final touch - studding all empty spaces with tiny hazelnuts.)
Due to a mixture of bad weather and our sleep schedule (sleeping days, up at nights) we weren't able to leave the food at the foot of a local standing stone (like our Harvest Home offering), so I stayed local - backyard local! - and left it at the base of the Shango Tree/phallic worship altar.
When carefully unloading the overly ripe goods I noticed that the four Empire apples still had their just picked! gleam (which couldn't be said about some of their associates). Like Eve I was faced with a dilemma of epic proportions. And then, like Eve, I eventually succumbed to temptation (BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT - OVARIES WILL BE OVARIES). Although UNLIKE Eve I was a repeat offender. (WHAT CAN I SAY? SOME OF US ARE BETTER AT THIS GAME THAN OTHERS.)
(First of all - no, it's NOT called "stealing". Secondly, when everyone shares the same food amongst one another it's called "communion". Verdict? NOT GUILTY.)
Apples and browned buttered crumbs add a rich character to this everyday pudding. Raisins and nuts may also be use. Recipe adapted from Savella Stechishin's Traditional Ukrainian Cookery.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
* 3-4 tart apples, pared and diced
* 1/3 cup or more sugar
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 2 cups cooked rice (2/3 cup uncooked)
METHOD:
Heat the butter until it begins to bubble and brown slightly. Add the bread crumbs and stir until lightly browned. Do not scorch. Reserve about two tablespoons of the browned buttered crumbs for the topping. Mix the apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Combine with the rice and bread crumbs. Put the mixture into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top. This pudding has no liquid. If a moist pudding is desired, sprinkle the mixture with a few tablespoons of cream or milk. Cover and bake the pudding in a moderate oven (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serves 5 to 6.
Coming from a family who never really ate rice pudding I was somewhat hesitant about treading unknown territory (last memory? gelatinous custard-like pudding with over boiled rice), but I had the right amount of apples, some homemade Ukie rice in the fridge (butter boiled, just a touch of salt) and, after a day or two, curiosity of what a "dry" rice pudding would taste like eventually got the better of me.
Italics wouldn't touch it (he's not really into fruit, especially fruit paired with rice), but I had two hot bowls of it for breakfast. (Serving suggestion: add just a touch of cream.) Ukrainian apple and rice pudding - it's the new oatmeal of winter mornings. Seriously.
In fact, I'm off to heat up leftovers...
