about 1 cup Italian rice
Large pot of water for cooking rice

about 1/2 cup sugar
about 2 cups milk
about 1 teaspoon cinnamon

o Bring a large pot of water to boil.

o Cook rice until is almost done (3/4 done).

o Drain water from rice.

o Heat up milk. Add sugar. Stir.

o Add the rice to the milk and continue cooking until the rice is completely cooked (Make sure the rice does not burn as it can easily do so).

o Remove from heat and place the cooked rice in a decorative container. Flatten it out a bit (Should be about 3/4 inch high).

o Keep the pudding in the fridge until it is completely chilled (about 6 hours).

o Prior to serving sprinkle a touch of cinnamon on the rice pudding.

According to my mother no one made rice pudding in Casacalenda prior to World War II. Was she wrong! According to my aunt, Zia Rosina, this dessert was often made for Christmas Eve, St. Joseph Eve and Good Friday. In fact, my aunt's own mother generally did it for St. Joseph Eve. Well, this information really took me by surprise. First of all, I had assumed all these years that rice pudding was an all-American dessert and now find out Southern Italians did it as well, and second of all, I am shocked to learn that prior to World War II not only was St. Joseph's Feast Day celebrated but so was the "Eve" of St. Joseph. Apparently, because this dessert had to be chilled, and because few households in the countryside owned fridges prior to World War II, it was only done in the winter time. Cooks either kept the pudding on their window sills or on their porches. Rice pudding was also made for San Giuseppe's Patrocinio which fell on the 2nd Sunday in May.... One more thing, my aunt says that most cooks used goat's milk to make this pudding in the old days. Back then most people living in the countryside owned a goat or two, and that's why goat's milk was often used to make all sorts of sweets.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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