This week I return to my roots to make a sweet Mexican dish, arroz con leche. This recipe might sound disgusting, because it translates to rice pudding, but when warm, it is nice to have on a cold day.

Ingredients

1 cup water

Pinch of salt

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup white rice

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Few dashes ground cinnamon

Directions

Bring water, salt and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but it still slightly uncooked or al dente, about 15 minutes.

Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add the cooked rice and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. You can eat it warm or place in a refrigerator until cool and set. Serve with whipped cream and a dash more cinnamon (optional).

That’s what’s cookin’ this week. Check back next week for a new recipe.