Thirty-four years ago, he and I were walking down a lonely corridor to an Eastern Airlines flight when he jovially started talking to me. I was impressed that a man of his fame would be so warm and engaging to a total stranger. But this was no ordinary man. To refresh your memory, here's what the polio poster had to say about him:
With the kind permission of Running Press Book Publishers, the recipe for Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding from Julie Hasson's Vegan Diner is excerpted here. Copyright © 2011.
Ingredients:
1 cup medium-grain sushi rice (such as calrose)
1/2 cups raisins (optional)
1 1/2 to 2 cups plain or vanilla non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Freshly ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 cups water, rice, and raisins (if using), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Removed saucepan from heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Remove the cover.
Add 1 cup of the milk and the sugar to the cooked rice, stirring until combined. Return the saucepan to stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. Continue adding more milk as the pudding cooks and thickens, stirring as needed. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pudding is very thick and creamy. If the pudding is too thick, stir in a little more milk as needed to thin slightly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Scoop the pudding into serving dishes and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Refrigerate pudding until ready to serve. Makes 4-6 servings.
1974 – Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia. Pete on the left, and me, with my Mini van. We had a boat on the roofrack and drove across Europe to Greece and back in that tiny vehicle.
1983 – in the garage at home. Since the above photo I had married Hazel, acquired an instant family, then Ben arrived too. So time to get a proper job and a sensible car - though the Ford Fiesta was a bit of a squash with 3 kids.
