Chef Li: Spanish hot chocolate

Made this Spanish Hot Chocolate this morning. I got the recipe off one of Mum’s Mediterranean cook books.

It’s pretty darn easy and it tastes nice and smooth, but what makes it Spanish? I do no know. I think it might be the type of chocolate they use? But since that special type of chocolate isn’t readily available, as the cook book describes, they suggest using cornflower- which I used.

Here’s what you’ll need:
– Chocolate a la taza OR
– 200g chopped good-quality dark chocolate
– 2 tbsp. Cornflower
– Milk
– Sugar

Here’s how to make the magic happen:
1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp. cornflower with 2 tbsp. milk to a smooth paste
2. Place 1 L milk and 200g chopped dark chocolate in a saucepan and whisk constantly over low heat until just warm
3. Add 2 tbsp. of the milk to the cornflour paste, then return all the paste to the milk
4. Whisking constantly, cook the mixture until it just begins to boil
5. Remove from the heat, add sugar, to taste, and whisk for another minute. Serves 4-6

Chef Li: Steak burger

For some reason I’ve been in a innovative cooking mood for the past few weeks. I think part of the reason for this unusual mood was because I was on the Atkin’s a couple weeks ago – that diet really makes you appreciate good food. I found when I was on that diet that I didn’t miss lollies, chips and all the bad stuff, but rather I missed being able to have meat and rice, meat and noodles, meat and bread, rather than just meat, meat and meat.

Now I’m not the world’s best cook for sure (I’m pretty sure I’ll never be), but I can at least try!

I got the biggest complement last week from my ultimate food critic, jamie-oliver-wannabe sister, Mae, when I made an improv salad complete with: spinach, feta, pumpkin cubes, Mongolian lamb, sour cream, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes and beetroot. She said it looked like something Jamie Oliver would make, quote unquote. That was one of the nicest ever things she’s said to me, I shall treasure it.

The above are photos I took of my steak burger I made for Friday’s dinner before church – how pro does it look!

It’s unmis-steak-ably the best steak burger I’ve ever made (probably because I’ve never actually made a steak burger on my own before…) 

Here’s what you need:

• White Bap Bread Rolls (60c each at Bakers’ Delight)
• Spinach salad (any lettuce type you want really, I just like the bold spinach colour)
• Cherry tomatoes (Halved)
• Beef steak (Any type you prefer. I used rump)
• Pesto (make your own/be lazy a nd just buy it, like me)
• Cucumber and/or Celery
• Natural Yoghurt
• Beetroot (optional)

One of my new years resolutions is to not buy food so much at uni. Hopefully I can make things like this for lunch instead.