by Alison Fernandes

Created on: November 20, 2011

Portuguese Vermicelli Pudding

(Aletria)

This is an easy to make recipe, using vermicelli (which you may find in your local store or supermarket labelled as angel hair pasta rather than vermicelli).  It is a recipe which I remember that my husband often used and I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys traditional milk puddings such as rice and semolina.

Having lived in the Algarve, in the south of Portugal, for a number of years, I grew accustomed to Portuguese food and quickly learned an appreciation of the way in which good, wholesome and simple ingredients are used in a variety of ways to produce attractive and appetising food.  Portuguese cooking methods are often uncomplicated and work on the principle of just enough flavouring but not so much that the dish is spoiled.

Desserts are no exception to this and the Portuguese make good use of rice and pasta in their puddings.  Most of these are made on the top of the stove, in contrast to English cooking, in which milk puddings, such as rice, semolina and tapioca, are invariably baked in the oven, and many of them combine cinnamon and lemon to good effect.

Ingredients

200 grams vermicelli or angel hair pasta

7.5 decilitres milk (either full fat or semi-skimmed)

300g granulated or caster sugar

Grated rind of 1 medium sized lemon

5 medium sized eggs

150g unsalted butter or margarine

Powdered cinnamon to taste

Method

Place the vermicelli together with the milk, the sugar and the butter or margarine in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Grate the lemon with a fine grater and add the lemon rind to the saucepan.   

Bring the mixture to the boil over a high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. 

Once it has begun to boil, turn the heat down and continue to cook the mixture over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until you can see that the vermicelli has absorbed all the milk in the saucepan.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat them well with a balloon whisk and add these to the pan. 

Continue stirring the contents of the saucepan until the eggs are cooked. 

Remove the saucepan from the heat and turn the mixture out into a serving dish. 

Smooth over the top of the vermicelli before decorating with the powdered cinnamon, in lines arranged in a criss cross grid across the surface. 

Serve immediately.  This dish can also be eaten cold.

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