I combined the recipe for Lebanese Rice&Milk with an easy apricot compote to get a fresh and delicious dessert that fits well in the heat of these days
Ingredients for 6 servings: about 125g of small grain rice or basmati rice, the same volume of water, 1 liter of milk, 150g sugar (preferably raw and cane sugar), 2 tablespoons scented water (orange blossom or thousand flowers), 1 kg of apricots cleaned and without stones, juice of 1 lemon, 300g of water.
Put rice in a saucepan just covered with cold water.
Cook without stirring and possibly covered, for at least 8 minutes, or until water is complately absorbed, without burning the rice.
Now add, little by little, the milk and continue to cook at a very low temperature for a further 30 minutes, being careful the rice mixture and milk not to attack to the bottom of the saucepan.
When Milk&Rice is very soft but not too dry, add 100g sugar and let it melt, stirring well all the time.
If rice is too dry, add a little milk.
Then add the scented water (orange blossom or thousand flowers).
If it is not available, you can substitute with a teaspoon of orange, almond or lemon liqueur.
Pour the rice into a round bowl, draining off excess liquid and place the bowl, covered, in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile put apricots, divided in half and without bones in a saucepan, seasoned with lemon juice and covered with the remaining sugar.
Let them rest covered for half an hour. You will see that the sugar dissolves and apricots will be dumped in their natural water.
Now put saucepan on medium heat for about 15 minutes, eventually adding a little more water from time to time, just enough to make apricots soft but not crushed.
After this time, turn off the heat and let cool away from the fire before putting them in the refrigerator.
Serve well chilled rice, sprinkled with apricot compote.
Note
All around the Middle East apricots are part of many recipes and many fragrant rice dishes, that however generally are not desserts.
Apricots were discovered by Alexander the Great who gave notice of thiese fruits to the greek world of his time. But their diffusion in the West grows with the Roman Empire that took apricots to Rome fron Armenia calling them Prunus Armeniaca ie Armenia Plums
It seems, however, that cultivars of these so beautiful and good fruits were developed expecially by Arabs who gave origines also to their present name.
The real anchient origin seems to be Central Asia territory, bordering the Gobi Desert.
It seems that Apricot trees grow wild from 4000 years in those regions.
Armenia, after apricot reach it, proved to be an area particularly suited to their growth and propagation.
It produces in abundance some particularly beautiful and sweet qualities. There, apricots are ingredients of many different dishes, from soups to meat dishes, from sauces to cakes and, cause it is a country of mountains with a long rural traditional, there has developed the habit of preserving summer fruits to make them availabke in all seasons, especially those fruits that grow in abundance, as apricots.
Therefore, in Armenian cuisine there are many winter recepes based on apricots.
Dried apricots are not only widespread in the Caucasus countries, but also at east of the Caspian Sea.
I know that also in Almaty, the ancient and former capital of Kazakhstan, next to the eastern borders of the country, they prepare a delicious dried apricots cake.
Ingredients for 6 servings: about 125g of small grain rice or basmati rice, the same volume of water, 1 liter of milk, 150g sugar (preferably raw and cane sugar), 2 tablespoons scented water (orange blossom or thousand flowers), 1 kg of apricots cleaned and without stones, juice of 1 lemon, 300g of water.
Put rice in a saucepan just covered with cold water.
Cook without stirring and possibly covered, for at least 8 minutes, or until water is complately absorbed, without burning the rice.
Now add, little by little, the milk and continue to cook at a very low temperature for a further 30 minutes, being careful the rice mixture and milk not to attack to the bottom of the saucepan.
When Milk&Rice is very soft but not too dry, add 100g sugar and let it melt, stirring well all the time.
If rice is too dry, add a little milk.
Then add the scented water (orange blossom or thousand flowers).
If it is not available, you can substitute with a teaspoon of orange, almond or lemon liqueur.
Pour the rice into a round bowl, draining off excess liquid and place the bowl, covered, in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile put apricots, divided in half and without bones in a saucepan, seasoned with lemon juice and covered with the remaining sugar.
Let them rest covered for half an hour. You will see that the sugar dissolves and apricots will be dumped in their natural water.
Now put saucepan on medium heat for about 15 minutes, eventually adding a little more water from time to time, just enough to make apricots soft but not crushed.
After this time, turn off the heat and let cool away from the fire before putting them in the refrigerator.
Serve well chilled rice, sprinkled with apricot compote.
Note
All around the Middle East apricots are part of many recipes and many fragrant rice dishes, that however generally are not desserts.
Apricots were discovered by Alexander the Great who gave notice of thiese fruits to the greek world of his time. But their diffusion in the West grows with the Roman Empire that took apricots to Rome fron Armenia calling them Prunus Armeniaca ie Armenia Plums
It seems, however, that cultivars of these so beautiful and good fruits were developed expecially by Arabs who gave origines also to their present name.
The real anchient origin seems to be Central Asia territory, bordering the Gobi Desert.
It seems that Apricot trees grow wild from 4000 years in those regions.
Armenia, after apricot reach it, proved to be an area particularly suited to their growth and propagation.
It produces in abundance some particularly beautiful and sweet qualities. There, apricots are ingredients of many different dishes, from soups to meat dishes, from sauces to cakes and, cause it is a country of mountains with a long rural traditional, there has developed the habit of preserving summer fruits to make them availabke in all seasons, especially those fruits that grow in abundance, as apricots.
Therefore, in Armenian cuisine there are many winter recepes based on apricots.
Dried apricots are not only widespread in the Caucasus countries, but also at east of the Caspian Sea.
I know that also in Almaty, the ancient and former capital of Kazakhstan, next to the eastern borders of the country, they prepare a delicious dried apricots cake.
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