P+P recipe X: Carla’s Cioccolata Calda
One simple ingredient takes this cold weather classic to a whole new level
Now that the festive season is skidding into deadass winter, I thought it might be nice to share a super simple recipe that goes a long way and just happens to come courtesy of my husband’s late maternal nonna.* Hot chocolate is great — full stop — and I shan’t speak a word against it but this one was a real game-changer. Thanks to the flavorless potato starch it’s as thick and creamy as pudding, the bitter cocoa adds an extra richness and the whole thing just feels more substantial, you know? That counts in these dark times.
Carla’s cocoa can easily double as a legit dessert and there’s really no limit to what you can add such as whipped cream, cinnamon, cardamon, chili powder, candy & cookie bits, floral infusions (lavender hot chocolate is heavenly AF y’all) and various spirits, whiskey being my personal favorite.
A little more about Carla below, otherwise please stay safe and warm dear Plaguers.
INGREDIENTS:
(for a single serving, adjust for taste/thickness/number of servings)
2 spoonfuls bitter cocoa powder
2 spoonfuls sugar
1 spoonful potato starch
Milk of choice, roughly a mug’s worth
Pinch of salt, optional
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the milk over the stove and slowly stir in the cocoa and sugar, preferably with a whisk. As the cocoa comes to a boil whisk in the potato starch and stir until smooth. Serve as desired.
NOTES: If you have trouble getting rid of the clumps an immersion blender works wonders.
Although I’ve been guilty of it in the past, I feel weird sharing stories about other people’s relatives as if they were my own or something. So I’ll share these little ditties about the late, great Carla.
She came from a family of Venetian harpsichord and pianoforte makers; while cleaning one day I found a plastic-sheathed invoice dated 1837. Her father owned a bar caffè and helped evacuees during the war. Carla would go on to open a bar of her own and was by all accounts a hardworking badass. The cioccolata calda (I hope) you’re enjoying was a regular on her menu. She raised the best future mother-in-law I could hope for, whose son spent many an afternoon with Carla over coffee and cigarettes — now tattooed on his rib — and picked up some killer moves in the kitchen.
Our apartment was inherited from Carla and my first year or so here the TV would habitually switch on by itself around 11am to Italian soap operas. I joked about this to my husband and after he fixed his face he told me about his nonna’s non-negotiable “I’m watching my stories” soap hour. I started leaving an espresso and cigarette out for Carla to let her know I would do my best.
The television has since gone quiet.
*This is Carla’s recipe and therefore contains her magia but it’s worth noting that the style — extremely thick, almost custardy — is pretty standard for Italian hot cocoa. Sentimental alliteration asks that you go with it.
