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by Nuno Mendes from Lisboeta (Bloomsbury)

Serves 4

Prep time: Less than 10 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

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The enthusiasm for rice in Portugal knows no bounds, so it should be no surprise that we absolutely adore rice pudding. Whenever I cook this, the smell always takes me back to my childhood, when my grandmother used to make it. She would spread it out on a plate on the dining room table to cool down, and make patterns on the top with ground cinnamon. Most likely to avoid my continual pleas of Is it ready yet? She would always set a little bowlful aside for me to taste. In this recipe I have added pistachios to the classic plain version.

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Ingredients

150g short-grain white rice, preferably Portuguese carolino, Japanese sushi or Spanish bomba rice

800ml whole milk

80g caster sugar

A couple of stripsÌýeach of lemon and orange zest plus grated zest to taste (optional)

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

3 egg yolks

50mlÌý single cream (optional)

40g pistachios, shelled, toasted and roughly chopped

Ground cinnamon, to taste

Sea salt flakes

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Method

Rinse the rice according to the instructions on the packet.

Bring 300ml water to the boil in a pan with a pinch of salt.

Stir in the rice and cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

Add a little extra water if it starts to stick.

Heat the milk and sugar in a separate pan with the lemon and orange zest and cinnamon stick. I always count how many pieces of peel and cinnamon I put in the pan, which is helpful when I go fishing later to take them out. Depending on how strong you want the flavours to be, you can remove the aromatics at this stage, or leave them in for a bit longer.

Pour the milk mixture into the rice gradually, stirring well after each addition.

Continue to cook over a low heat for another 20 minutes, or until thick and creamy.

Just before serving, stir in the egg yolks and cream, if using, and cook very gently for a couple of minutes. The rice will thicken as it cools, and you can adjust the consistency with a little extra cream or milk.

Serve the rice pudding in a large serving dish or individual bowls. I love to eat it with toasted pistachios and cinnamon sprinkled on top. You could also add a little extra grated lemon and orange zest.