I discovered some home-grown rhubarb in the bottom of my freezer the other day, and while pondering what to do with it (how long does it keep frozen?) I kept thinking about my winter spice syrup recipe…
So, to celebrate 100 posts on Words and Herbs I made this:
Milchreis (rice pudding) with winter spice syrup and stewed rhubarb.
The rice:
250g short grain rice
1 litre milk (use almond or soya for the vegan version)
pinch of salt
A little cream
Bring the milk to the boil, remove from heat and stir in the rice and the pinch of salt. Put back on a very low heat, put a lid on the pan and leave to barely simmer for about twenty-thirty minutes, stirring now and then. Mix in a little cream before serving. Serve warm.
The rhubarb: simmer over a low heat until soft and then turn up heat to reduce some of the excess liquid. If very sour, add a little sugar.
The syrup:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp allspice
6 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1/2 tsp ginger
Bring all ingredients to a simmer, stirring constantly to combine. Strain through a mesh sieve.
Can be kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but may need straining again.
Now put a little of each in a dish and enjoy!
By the way, the syrup tastes good in fruit tea, mixed with sekt or ginger ale, and is especially fine on pancakes or even porridge…
Words and Herbs 