Semolina Pudding with Currant Sauce

Griesmeelpudding met bessensap

750 ml milk
65 grams semolina
2 lemons
50 grams sugar
pinch of salt
20 grams butter
1 can (350 grams) red currant jelly

Juice the lemons and peel one of them. Put the peel into a pan, add the milk and bring to a boil. Mix the semolina, salt and sugar and sprinkle the mix gradually into the boiling milk, stirring constantly. Cook the pudding at medium heat till it is nicely thickened (approx. 6 minutes). Take out the lemon peel and mix in the butter. Rinse a pudding mold with cold water and pour or scoop the semolina mold into it. Let the pudding cool off thoroughly to the point of being cold. Put the jelly into a saucepan and add half of the lemon juice and 100 ml of boiling water. Bring to a boil, stirring until it is smooth. Serve the cold pudding and pour the hot sauce over it. The red currants can be substituted by other fruits, such as cranberries or peaches.

‘Griesmeel’ or semolina - also used for other countries’ national dishes such as ‘polenta’ (Italy) and ‘couscous’ (Morocco) - is the coarse middlings of hard wheat and thus one of the oldest forms of ground grain. It is a staple food in many cultures. The word denotes a coarse way of grinding. ‘Meel’ is the Dutch word for flour and is derived from a word for grinding or milling. It is akin to the English word ‘meal.’ ‘Gries’ is akin to ‘gruis’ (for ‘gravel’) and thus also to ‘grist.’