Instructions: Scald rice as follows: bring to a boil several cups of water, toss in rice, and boil for 3 minutes while stirring. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Bring milk to a boil with vanilla. When milk is boiling, pour in scalded rice slowly so that boiling is not interrupted. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Let boil hard for 5 minutes, then cover and reduce flame to very low (or protect rice from burning by placing asbestos pad over moderate flame). Cook slowly, covered, until rice is done (about 1 hour). Check after 20 minutes to see whether more milk should be added; if rice is dry, add boiling milk. When pudding is cooked, rice grains should be soft but separate in a creamy thick sauce. Remove vanilla bean and pour pudding into serving dish, let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with a good coating of sugar and put under hot broiler until sugar caramelizes. In Galicia, this pudding is eaten hot, but it is also good cold.

Comments: For variation, substitute a cinnamon stick and a small piece of orange peel for the vanilla. Tie the orange peel in cheesecloth and remove it when pudding is cooked.

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