Cocido con Leche

Well, the other day, I was craving something warm and delicious (it was freezing cold and snowing). So I thought about making some hot cocoa with toast or some delicious peppermint tea (which is one of my favorite cold-weather beverages). As I rummaged through the cupboards like a bear foraging for honey, I found that we had no hot cocoa and no peppermint tea. I was distraught—how in the world was I going to enjoy liquid heat coursing through my frigid extremities if I didn’t have any “hot drinks?” (did you catch the Word of Wisdom joke?) I suddenly realized that we had milk, sugar, water, and yerba mate (mah-tay)—all the essential ingredients to cocido con leche. It is a traditional Paraguayan drink, often consumed in the morning or when it’s cold. So I got out a pan, burned some of the sugar in the bottom of the pan and tossed in the yerba, toasted it a little too, and finally threw water into the pan. The brown, boiling sugar hissed angrily and began to dissolve and eventually, this green, grassy smelling concoction was boiling merrily. I turned off the stove, strained the brew in a cloth, and added more sugar and milk. My craving was soon to meet its doom. As I slurped the sweet ambrosia I had recently concocted, I felt the warmth return to my toes. Cocido con leche is the best!