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Cuisine: Albondigas soup, atole, bischochitos, capirotada, carne adovado, chalupas, chicharrones, chile con carne, chile rellenos, green chile stew, menudo, natillas, panoche, posole, tamales

Atole

Atole is a traditional cornstarch-based Mexican and Central American hot drink, typically accompanied with tamales, and very popular during the Christmas holiday season.

The drink typically includes masa (corn meal), water, piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), cinnamon, vanilla and optional chocolate or fruit. The mixture is blended and heated before serving. The resulting blends vary in texture, ranging from a porridge to a very thin liquid consistency. Atole can also be prepared with rice flour or oatmeal in place of masa. In northern Mexic,o there is also a variation using pinole (sweetened toasted corn meal). Although, atole is one of the traditional drinks of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, it is very common during breakfast and dinnertime. It is usually sold as street food.

Other derivations exist, like in New Mexico, blue corn atole is finely ground cornmeal toasted for cooking, consumed as a grainy porridge-style drink served warm, usually sweetened with sugar and/or thinned with milk. It is usually served at breakfast like cream of wheat or oatmeal. It is said that elders would drink atole because it gave them energy and, if a mother is nursing, it gives them more milk.

Atole Recipe:

1/2 cup fresh masa (corn dough) or 1/2 cup masa flour (masa harina) mixed with a 1/4 cup hot water to blend
5 cups water
3 - 4 tablespoons piloncillo, chopped or 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons molasses
1 stick cinnamon
1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise)

Directions:

1. Place the water and the masa into the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium sized saucepan.
2. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan and add the cinnamon stick. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken.
3. Add the piloncillo or (or sugar, molasses combination) and continue to stir vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat.
2. Remove the cinnamon stick and the vanilla bean and serve hot, in mugs.

Yield: 5-6 servings

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