SANTA’S PORRIDGE – 2ND ADVENT

Can’t believe it’s already the 2nd of advent! This week have flown by so fast, probably due to a lot of studying for my exams (one week left today) and the fact that my days are so stuffed with meeting friends, hockey and preparation for our presentation in accounting-class.

Every year the Swedish television air a “christmas-calendar” mostly for children, but we’re a lot of grown-ups that love is equally as much. This year it’s called “1000 years to christmas” and it tells the story of how children lived from the “Viking-age” (about year 700-1100 ad) up to today. It’s only 15 min, but it’s just the perfect way to start the morning in a festive way.

Another Swedish tradition is “santa’s porridge” or “tomtegröt” in Swedish. When americans put out cookies and milk for santa, Swedes put out porridge. A tradition that belongs from the nordic folk belief that on every farm, a magic elf lived to look after the farm and the animals.  To thank him for his work (because you didn’t want to upset this little man, the tale says that if he didn’t got butter in his porridge, he would kill one of the cows) the farmer put out a bowl of porridge. We still eat a lot of this porridge during christmas-time, and some of us still put out a bowl for our magic little helper.

Ingredients
1,5 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter
190 g round grain rice 
2,5 cups milk
0,8 cup heavy cream
1 cinnamon stick

How to make it;
Bring water, salt and butter up to a boil in a medium-sized pan and add in the rice. Let it simmer for 10 min.

Add in the milk, heavy cream and the cinnamon stick. Let it simmer gently for 40 min. Make site to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn in the bottom of a pan. 

Before serving, take out the cinnamon stick and serve it with cold milk, sugar and grounded cinnamon.