Maestra Cleofas Feliciano Bautista, Tuxtepec and Usila
This chileatole is always prepared in Usila when the fresh corn is harvested in both Holy Week and later in the rainy season. It is a meal in itself and served alone. The chileatole is best cooked in a clay pot, or olla.
6 portions
8 cups (2 L) water
6 small, tender ears of corn, each cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) fresh corn kernels
12 chiles tabaqueros or dried serranos or 10 red costenos
2 large sprigs epazote
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Heat the water in an earthenware pot (if available), and when it comes to a boil, add the pieces of corn. Cook over medium heat until just tender, about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, toast the whole chiles lightly in an ungreased pan, taking care not to let them burn. Transfer to the blender jar with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the cooking water and blend until smooth. Add to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Blend the corn kernels with 2 cups (500 ml) of the cooking water to a slightly textured puree; add to the pot with the epazote, sugar, and salt if necessary. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking, until the atole begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Add more water -- up to 2 cups (500 ml) -- if necessary to obtain a medium consistency.
Serve the chileatole in deep plates with 4 pieces of corn per portion.
Excerpted from Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy by Diana Kennedy. Copyright 2010 by Diana Kennedy. Excerpted by permission of University of Texas Press.
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