Horchata, unexpectedly

You know, I’ve got a secret.

Maybe you’ve already discovered it on your own, maybe not.

This post is for the ones who haven’t.

This post is also for the ones loving horchata.

The secret is (to be read in a whispering voice, please):

the most important things are the most unexpected ones,

most of the times.

What do I mean?

I mean that all the great changes in our lives, all the great revolutions in our stories, well, they always begin with something completely unexpected. In good and in bad times.

Death is always unexpected, even when if  you know that it’s going to come. Loss is always unexpected, even when you don’t get along with your boyfriend since ages. Being fired is often unexpected. These are the bad times, of course.

But a new job is often unexpected too, because maybe you’ve been waiting for an offer from the editor of that magazine and well, they don’t ask you anything but, well, someone else asks you to publish your book. Friendship is often unexpected, because most of the times you begin to talk with that girl and you don’t think at all that you could get along with her, but then there you are, three years later, sipping some fresh iced tea with her in the patio. Love is unexpected, because it can't be planned, unless you wanted to fail 

Things that you worry about almost never become real problems.

Things that you don’t worry about always become real problems.

Things that you’re wating for often don’t happen.

Things that you were not waiting for, but that will be good for you, often happen.

This is life. This is it.

The secret is to welcome new unexpected thing and to face bad unexpected things.

And, from time to time, to bring fresh homemade horchata to your beloved, because unexpected gifts are far more better that the expected ones. So, let’s make together unexpected horchata for unexpected friends on an unexpected extremely hot summer day.

You just need:

3/4 cup long grain white rice

4 cups water

1 stick cinnamon

you can add one more, but cinnamon flavour is really strong

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract: you can make your own, it’s easy!

2 cups milk (or coconut milk, or water: I prefer cow milk)

Horchata used to be made from barley, but now it’s usually made from almonds (in Spain and France) or from rice (in Mexico). We’re making the mexican version, as you can see from the ingredients. Just so you know.

Making horchata is really easy, and you’ll have a delicious drink to be sipped with friends out on the porch or in the garden, in the shadow of a big maple tree.

Pour the rice in a blender and pulse until it will look like coarse, floury, hard crumbs. Add the 4 cups of water, the cinnamon stick and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. The whole process will take you less than five minutes. You can even do it before going to bed, after a summer party or coming home from the cinema.

Now it’s morning, the sun in shining but it’s still gentle like a stroke, it doesn’t burn skins yet. Blend the mixture of water and rice (cinnamon included) for 2 or 3 minutes, until pureed. Add the sugar, the vanilla extract and blend again. Check for sweetness. You can add as much sugar as you want.

Finally, strain the mixture into a pitcher. You can do it with a cheesecloth or you can do it with a fine mesh strainer. I had no cheesecloth and no fine mesh strainer, so I used a tea towel, and I managed the whole thing, but I did a mess, involving two strainings and muddy-sugary-rice everywhere. Anyway, you can do it. Then add the 2 cups of milk and stir.

Bring it to a friend, unexpectedly, and pour it over ice. Enjoy.