SUNDAY RECIPE y UNA CANCIÓN: ATOLE DE GUAYABA
This ‘Sunday’s Recipe and a Song’ is by Ash Cornejo. Ash has become a dear friend of mine over the last two years. I met her when she was the herbalist at Flamingo Estate, before she moved North to return to school. We connected over identity, botany and so much more. Ash is an Ethnobotanist, herbalist, talented cook and magic potion maker who I admire so much. She is currently a PhD student studying medical ethnobotany. Her passions explore methods of healing outside of western biomedicine, especially plant medicine and ritual, for migrant and refugee communities on the border of the U.S. and Mexico.
“My experiences as an immigration and language rights advocate led me to ask how I could uplift plant medicine in the lives of those I wanted to give back to most–migrants, immigrants, diaspora, and Indigenous peoples. It was through this questioning that I found Ethnobotany.” -Ash Cornejo
I am so happy to share Ash’s Sunday Recipe y Una Canción with our community. To learn more about Ash and her incredible work, stay tuned! We will share our Masa Memories conversation with Ash later this week. I hope you will enjoy making this Atole recipe while listening to Jose Feliciano's Salud!
love, April
SUNDAY RECIPE y UNA CANCIÓN
with
Ash Cornejo
The word atole comes from the Nahuatl word “atolli”, meaning diluted. This hot drink is a pre-invasion Indigenous creation of the Mexica people, also known as the Aztec, made from masa, milk, and spices. In Mexico a basic atole recipe includes vanilla, cinnamon, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), and a bit of salt. Many variations exist, including champurrado, an atole with chocolate added. This version is especially popular during Dia de Muertos and Las Posadas, but is delicious on any cold day. In New Mexico a version is made with blue corn masa, and in parts of Mexico and throughout Latin America fruit is often added, including pineapple and strawberry. With a base of milk, sugar, masa, cinnamon, and vanilla, you can build and explore atole variations. I add a teaspoon of loose leaf chai tea for an added kick of caffeine and a boost to the syrupy, molasses flavor. Inspired by the tropical atoles, Atole de Guayaba is a delicate, silky, and lightly floral atole, the ultimate comfort food, and perfect for sipping in a big mug any time of the year.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons masa
4 tablespoons water
1.5 cups milk (I use oat milk)
2 tablespoons piloncillo (can substitute brown sugar)
1 heaping teaspoon chai loose leaf tea (optional)
30 grams guava paste plus 3 tablespoons of water
⅓ cinnamon stick
A pinch of salt (I use 7 twists from a grinder)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
In a medium sized saucepan gently heat the milk and piloncillo until dissolved.
Slowly mix the masa in a bowl with the 4 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Stir well to avoid lumps. Set aside.
Once the piloncillo has dissolved, add cinnamon, vanilla extract, chai tea, salt, and masa slurry. Stir well for one minute, then bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, until thick and velvety, stirring frequently.
In a separate pot, add guava paste and 3 tablespoons of water. Over medium heat melt the paste, while stirring vigorously (it helps to cut the paste into small pieces before heating). Take care not to burn the paste, and add more water if needed. The goal is to have around 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of jelly.
When you have about ten minutes left to heat the atole, add guava jelly and stir well for the remainder of the time.
Remove from heat and using a sieve strain the mixture, removing the chai tea blend, cinnamon stick, and any thick lumps of masa. Use a spoon or spatula to sieve the mixture through. The final result should be about the consistency of a milkshake, thick, sweet, and hot.
To serve
This recipe makes one hearty serving. Pour into a thick mug and enjoy carefully.
UNA CANCIÓN
by Ash Cornejo
Jose Feliciano's Salud
For the song I was thinking about Jose Feliciano's Salud, one of my favorite songs. The song is so romantic, and so full of love. It is my favorite song to listen to in the kitchen. Making food is the way I show love to those in my life. Listening to Salud, an ode to love, to health, and to the future is the perfect song for me to prepare food to. With this recipe and the stories I am sharing with you and with the Masa Memory familia, I hope to evoke the same gentle love and hope as Jose Feliciano's words: "salud cariño, porque mañana siempre existe la alegría.”