Castillian Hot Chocolate

Mix the cocoa and sugar together.

Dissolve the cornstarch (cornflour) in the water and combine with the cocoa-sugar mixture in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir this until it is a smooth paste. Begin heating this mixture, continuously stirring it with a whisk. Gradually pour in the milk. Continue stirring as you bring it to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. The cocoa is ready when it thickens and is glossy and smooth.

NOTES:

* Thick, rich Spanish hot chocolate — I first tasted this wonderful beverage while touring in northern Spain with a choir. It's not like any hot chocolate I've had anywhere else, and I was delighted to find a recipe in "The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two." It is the best hot chocolate in the world (at least to me.)

* The consistency of the finished product should resemble chocolate pudding that didn't quite set. If you halve this recipe, you'll get just the right amount for two large mug-fulls. This cocoa is especially fantastic when you dip churros into it (a churro is a sugary, deep-fried, doughnut-like stick, and if anyone wants to send out a recipe, I'd be most grateful).

: Difficulty: easy. : Time: 15 minutes. : Precision: measure the ingredients.

: Tovah Hollander : UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California USA : {sdcrdcf,hao}!cepu!tovah

Your Castillian Hot Chocolate is ready. Buon appetito!