A Spanish language class in Oaxaca introduced me to the gritty, compelling short stories of the Mexican journalist Cristina Pacheco.
The most mesmerizing that I have read is “Vainilla y Canela” (Vanilla and Cinnamon). In less than four riveting pages, Pacheco links the spicy aromas emanating from a simmering pot of arroz con leche (rice pudding) to the dissolution of a family
The story appears in an anthology of food-related writing, “Relatos a La Carta: Historias y Recetas de Cocina,” published in Spain by Editorial Páginas de Espuma.
Pacheco’s story was so enthralling that I devoured it standing in the aisle of the shop where I bought the book.
Like the other contributions to the anthology, it is accompanied by a recipe—the very arroz con leche that perfumes the poignant narrative.
The recipe isn’t tragic, but quite wonderful. Pacheco even suggests glamorizing it by adding a crisp, caramelized crust, as if it were crême brulée. An interesting possibility, but I find the simple version more in keeping with her spare, focused style.
Part of the enjoyment is in cooking the pudding slowly and enjoying the fragrance of lime and cinnamon that drifts up from the pan.
ARROZ CON LECHE
Rice Pudding
From "Vainilla y Canela" by Cristina Pacheco
4 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup long grain rice
1 quart milk
Peel of 1 Mexican lime, in long strips
1 cinnamon stick
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla
Ground cinnamon
Place the water and salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and boil, stirring, for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Add the milk, lime peel and cinnamon stick to the saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
Add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and to keep the mixture from boiling too rapidly, for 25 minutes, until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Turn into a heatproof dish. Carefully spoon through the pudding to find and remove pieces of lime peel and the cinnamon stick.
Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with cinnamon. Refrigerate any leftovers. Reheat gently before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
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