Morocho De Leche, or Spiced Hot Milk With Corn

Last summer when I was in Ecuador it was always a treat to have this drink for breakfast. Breakfast carts on the street and roadside stands keep this hot on the stove and serve it up in tall glasses all morning. It tastes like rice pudding and is a filling alternative to cereal. You drink all the milk and then eat the morocho at the bottom of the glass (I suggest checking to see if your glass is heat safe, otherwise serve it in a mug). Morocho is dried cracked corn kernals. Goya distributes it in plastic bags that you can find with the beans in the "ethnic" food aisle or at a Spanish bodega. This recipe says to use a pressure cooker, but if you don't have one just boil the corn and expect the morocho to take longer to get soft. One recipe yields a lot, so make sure to share with friends!

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb  dried cracked corn
• 8 3⁄4 cups milk
• 2  sticks cinnamon
• 3  ounces raisins
• 1  orange rind, grated
• 2  fresh lemon rind, grated
• 3  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  cups sugar
• 8  cloves

Directions

1. Carefully wash the morocho and soak overnight in at least twice as much water as there is corn.
2. Drain the morocho and cook in a little water in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan place milk, citrus rinds and clove and bring to a boil. By this time the milk should be perfumed by the spices.
4. Add morocho and cook at low heat for an hour (or as long as you can bear!). Finally, mix in sugar and vanilla. Serve hot.