RIZOGALO – RICE CUSTARD – PHOODIE’S GREEK KITCHEN: RECIPE 8 4

Want a warm hug from my Yaya Marie?

Well, chances are, you probably won’t get one! She doesn’t even know you!

BUT, the good news is, that you can recreate the feeling that such a hug would give you, by simply following this recipe and then spooning the outcome slowly into your mouth.

This recipe is sunshine on a rainy day.

It’s the warm, fresh towel after your shower.

It’s the vacant seat on the bus when you’re 9 months pregnant. And wearing heels.

Ok, now I really am off track… and I am totally confusing myself!

What I am trying to say, is that if ever there was a recipe that could represent the ‘FOOD IS LOVE’ anthem, it would be this one.

Kali Orexi!

INGREDIENTS

2 litres full cream milk

1/2 cup white rice

1 ‘finger sized’ piece of lemon peel

4 tablespoons sugar

8 egg yolks (I always make a pavlova on the same day that I make this rizogalo, because the Pav needs the whites and this one needs the yolks!) Tip: add a few drops of water into the bowl that you are going to use for the yolks as this will prevent them from sticking. 

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons vanilla custard powder

Pinch of salt

METHOD

1) Rinse a large saucepan with water and don’t wipe the inside of it down. Add the milk to this saucepan. This layer of water will stop the milk/rice sticking to the bottom and burning.

2) On your stove, turn the heat to medium to warm the milk. When it starts to simmer, add the rice and lemon peel and cook for a few more minutes.

3) Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, after a couple of minutes and stir. You don’t want it to boil over so ensure it remains simmering.

4) Place the 8 yolks in a new bowl (place a few drops of water in the bowl before adding the yolks), add the custard powder and vanilla and whisk together.

5) Take rice off the heat and gradually spoon small amounts of rice / milk into the yolk mixture, tablespoon by tablespoon, make sure that you area whisking the yolk mixture the whole time. Stop adding milk mixture into the yolk mixture once you have added about 1 and 1/2 cups of the milk/rice. Once done, pour the new yolk mixture back into the main saucepan, continuously whisking. Place the pan back on to the heat now and cook for a further 5 or so minutes on medium or until rice is cooked through.

NOTE: It is very important to KEEP WHISKING the entire time that you are incorporating the yolk mixture as you do not want the eggs to scramble! You want them to combine!

6) Once rice is cooked, ladle the rizogalo into small ramekins and top with cinnamon then set in fridge. Alternatively, you can place all of the rizogalo into a large trifle dish, top it with cinnamon and allow guests to be served from a central bowl.

7) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. To be served cold. Can be made day before. Lasts in fridge for up to 5 days but best eaten on days 1-3.

Apologies for not posting as many snaps as I normally do, but the kitchen got a bit ‘hot’ in the incorporation stages and I had to put the camera down to save the Rizogalo!!!!