Arroz con Leche

My grandfather passed away in September, and this week, he would have turned 88 years old. When I found out he had been admitted to the hospital in late August, I told myself that once he was back at home, I would bring him arroz con leche.

My mom always made the arroz con leche for her father, adding extra raisins to his liking. Growing up, I remember the giant aluminum trays of arroz con leche studded with raisins at family gatherings. Even though my grandfather has been gone for a little over a month, I wanted to prepare the birthday treat I never had the chance to share with him: Arroz con Leche.

This is a take on my mom’s recipe with lots of extra raisins. Arroz con leche, or rice pudding, is creamy, sweet, and fragrant with cinnamon. I came across another arroz con leche recipe seasoned with star anise, so I decided to include one pod here for a touch of earthiness. My mom’s recipe uses evaporated milk instead of whole milk, but either works great. 

Ingredients:
- 1 cup short-grain white rice, rinsed
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise pod
- 3 cups whole milk 
- 1 can condensed milk, 14 oz
- 1 cup black raisins
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish

How To: 

1. In a heavy-bottom pot bring rice and water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low for 20-25 minutes. Tie together cinnamon and star anise pod with kitchen twine, and add that to the pot. 

2. Once the rice is cooked, turn the temperature to low. Add in the milk and condensed milk, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the raisins and ground cinnamon and cook on low for another 10 minutes or until creamy. Some rice grains should still be visible. Take off the heat, and remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Serve with extra raisins and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon.