Brown Rice Pudding With Prunes and Apricots

This is a pudding for whole food-minded people, deliciously different from the traditional rice pudding. Taken from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course ISBN 0-563-36249-9. Cooking and preparation times are a guesstimate.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 1 pudding

Ingredients

• 275  ml brown rice
• 570  ml milk
• 4  tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1  egg, beaten
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
• 110  g  dried apricots, soaked overnight then drained and chopped
• 175  g prunes, soaked overnight then drained and chopped
• 150  g  natural yoghurt

Directions

1. In a thick-based saucepan bring the milk to the boil and sprinkle in the rice.
2. Stir, then cover and cook on a very low heat for about 50 minutes or until the rice is tender.
3. Keep an eye on it or the milk might boil over and, towards the end of the cooking time, have a peep as you may need to add a drop more milk.
4. Then take it off the heat and stir in 3 tbsps of the sugar, the beaten egg, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Next, butter a 4 pint (2.25 litre) casserole dish, spread half the rice mixture in it and top this with half the fruit.
6. Spread the rest of the rice on top and cover this with the remaining fruit.
7. Cover the casserole with a lid and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at gas mark 4, 350F or 180°C.
8. At the end of the cooking time, remove the pudding from the oven, spread the yoghurt over the top and sprinkle with the remaining tbsp of sugar.