• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• the zest and juice from 1 lemon
• the zest and juice from 1 orange
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

We’ve been talking about Carnevale for the past week. By now you may be wishing you were there, but missed your window to book the trip this year.  

Well, if you can’t make it to one of the many spectacular events throughout Italy, celebrate your own Carnevale at home.

Warm up with an extra special cup of Italian hot chocolate this winter. This isn’t your typical instant hot chocolate, but instead a rich and thick drinking chocolate that is everything hot chocolate should be. In Italy, drinking chocolate is commonly known as cioccolata calda or cioccolata densa for its dense pudding like texture that can be enjoyed with a spoon. Add an extra Italian flair by serving in a handmade ceramic mug from Modigliani. Available in a variety of colors, styles, and patterns, one is sure to fit your style.

DECADENTLY THICK ITALIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Cook Time - 15 mins

Time to Make It - 15 mins

This hot chocolate isn't for the faint of heart. It is rich, thick, and full of real chocolate. This is the kind of hot chocolate you make when you want to truly indulge!

Author: Rachel Farnsworth of Blog The Stay At Home Chef

Yield: Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
2. Whisk in cornstarch until combined and melty. If you want the hot chocolate thicker, use the maximum amount of cornstarch.
3. Add in milk and sugar. Increase the heat gradually to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Mixture will start to thicken.
4. Once the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat down to low and add in the chocolate chips. Stir constantly until well melted.
5. Serve hot. Keep the leftovers because it is also amazing, if not better cold!

Notes

For this recipe, you can adjust the darkness of the chocolate by what kind of chocolate you put in. I like to do a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, but you can go lighter with all milk chocolate, or darker with a combination of semi-sweet and bittersweet.

This recipe is in courtesy of: The Stay at Home Chef

YIELD: Makes 8 main-course servings
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
• 1 8-ounce package sliced fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 16-ounce package dried tortellini with pesto filling or fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
• 1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

**Test-kitchen tip:**To crush the fennel seeds, enclose the seeds in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, then pound them with a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet.

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.
3. Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

This recipe is shared from Epicurious.com. You can find it here.