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Atole de fresa, a strawberry-flavored take on a traditional Mexican corn beverage, is the first recipe Vanessa Abeja, known as Vivi, makes on Season 3 of her popular Vivis_Table Instagram Live cooking series, “Feeding the Soul.” For this episode, Vivi is joined by her childhood friend Martiza, who “throws down in the kitchen” says Vivi.
Although atole has complex flavors and requires a careful eye on the simmering pot, Vivi makes sure to emphasize how simple this “next level” recipe can be. Atole (for those not lucky enough to already know) is a cozy drink enjoyed hot or cold made with masa harina. It goes all the way back to the Aztecs, its name derived from the Nahuatl word atolli, which means thin gruel watered down. Like so many traditional drinks and dishes originating in Indigenous communities, the beverage spread to other countries in Latin America. Atole comes in a delicioso variety of forms and flavors, including chocolate and the special sabor Vivi is showing us how to make today: strawberry.
Although this is Vivi’s first time making atole de fresa, it’s clear from her Live episode that she is pretty confident making the recipe. No surprise, since this young chef who works at Chicago’s Bavette’s Steakhouse and Bar and who started out as a street vendor selling Michoacan-style tamales is the one all her family and friends call with cooking Qs. Vivi’s love of food is inspired by her Mexican grandmother, she says, who taught her how to cook. With our shared love of abuela cooking and belief in the power of family and food traditions to remind us who we are and where we come from, Familia Kitchen is honored to partner with Vivis_Table and showcase her “Feeding the Soul” Lives recipe cook-a-longs each month. Shoutout to Vivi!
“I’m on a mission to keep my abuela’s recipes going. Sharing food with people makes my heart full,” Vivi says. “When I’m looking up a recipe on my own, I spend a good amount of time researching different versions of it. I want to know what are the main ingredients that go in the recipe to still honor the recipe while also always adding my own touch.”
Let’s Make Atole de Fresa: Vivis_Table Live!
To celebrate atole’s range of flavors and preparations, Vivi makes hers with strawberries and brown sugar and Martiza makes a second atole version, using banana and vanilla extract. Both are declared next-level by their makers.
Vivi prepped her strawberries before the Instagram Live kickoff, by precooking them with brown sugar and water for about 10 minutes. If you don’t have brown sugar on hand, she says: No problem. “What I love about this recipe is you can use any kind of sweetener. You can use brown sugar, regular sugar, sweetened condensed milk — all that good stuff.”
Once the strawberries are soft and sweet, Vivi blends and sets them aside. While any blender will do, Vivi prefers using her handheld blender. “I’ve recently started investing in my kitchen a lot more because I love to cook,” Vivi explains. Luckily, her family has caught on and is supportive. Vivi smiles as she recounts how she has been blessed with cooking gifts for recent birthdays and other celebrations.
No matter what type of milk you use (and you really can use any kind of leche, Vivi says: 2%, 1%, skim and even lactose-free), you definitely do not want the atole mix to come to a boil. While Vivi simmers and stirs the milk pot and preps her cornstarch mixture in a separate bowl, she reminisces with Maritza about their high school days and the life lessons they have learned. Topics they touch on include: How to build habits that help you to succeed, how to take care of yourself, the importance of acknowledging when you’re struggling, how to “exercise that comeback muscle,” and the power of serving as mentors to others who may be struggling with mental health.
“I’m here to encourage folks,” Vivi says, still whisking her atole. “I want everyone to be happy. And when you pour into the people, they pour right back into you.”
Once the strawberry mixture is thoroughly blended, it’s time to slowly stir in the corn starch. As they add the finishing touches to their atoles, Vivi and Maritza share advice they would give to their younger selves. It’s clear from their conversation that the importance of knowing yourself–what motivates you, refreshes you, inspires you, and energizes you–is essential to these lifelong amigas. Vivi explains that once you find the things in your life that truly feed your soul (whether it’s meditative dancing or long conversations with family), you can start to refill your cup and be able to give back to the people and projects you love. Vivi and Martiza also emphasize the importance of women of color being represented and supporting each other.
Vivi and Maritza chatted on their Live for over an hour, but they promise making atole does not actually take that long. That said, if you find yourself loving the super-chill process of two friends slow cooking atole and keeping it real, take as much time as you need, Vivi encourages.
We’ll be posting lots more of Vivi’s delicioso Live recipes with plenty of heartfelt life wisdom at Familia Kitchen. Tune in and join us weekly as we continue to share Vivi’s “Feeding the Soul” series on Vivis_Table, with our Familia Kitchen community! Gracias, Vivi and Maritza. 🌟
Ready to Make a Cozy Cup of Atole de Fresa?
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