Atole de Grano (Mexican Fennel Corn Soup)

I’m by no means a religious person so for me Christmas is like any other day. I don’t make a big fuss about it or go over the top shopping for gifts, I enjoy receiving them not so much giving them, if you catch my drift. I guess that could also be said about other things but we won’t get into that. 

There’s something about this time of year that reminds me of all those foods that I had growing up. My family is from Michoacán, Mexico. Like any other country there are various regional dishes that probably don’t exists elsewhere and this dish is one that I haven’t found anywhere else. 

I remember when I lived in Michoacán there was this man who would go around selling corn from one of those popsicle carts, everyone called him “El Elotero.” He would sell what many of us know as street corn, you know the corn on the cob with various toppings like cream, cheese, chili powder and lime. But one of the other things El Elotero would sell was “atole de grano.” When you mention atole to any Mexican the first thing that comes to mind is a sweet beverage made from corn starch with flavors of vanilla, cinnamon or tamarind. It’s thick and delicious on a cold winter night. But this atole is different, it’s savory and hearty. It is a little salty but has some sweetness from the corn and has some fragrant flavor from the use of fresh fennel and anise. You top it off with a bit of chili and a squeeze of lime and it’s simply heaven.

If corn is in season definitely buy up some fresh corn and use that because the flavor is going to be that much better. Sadly in my case corn is not so I used canned sweet corn. You’ll cook the corn in vegetable broth and thrown in a couple of star anise pods. This will allow the pods to release their flavor in the broth and infuse the corn kernels with that wonderful taste. 

Then you’re going to take the parts that most people probably throw away, the fennel tops. It may sound odd but honestly, why waste food when you can make such good dishes out of the scraps. These fennel tops have so much deep flavor in them that it’d be a shame to let them go to waste. So when you go shopping be sure to find the leafiest, fullest fennel bulb. Cut off all the green little bits and set them aside. 

Then we are going to add a bit of heat and help enhance that natural green color. We’re going to seed a couple of poblano peppers and chop up some jalapeños. We’ll put it all in the blender. 

To help thicken up the soup we’re going to add a bit of masa harina. Masa harina helps add some heartiness to the soup and make it a bit more filling. In a medium bowl combine a one to one ratio of the harina and broth. You want to make a paste pretty much. Once you have the right consistency you also throw that in the blender. You want to make the paste first because otherwise if you put just the flour in the blender once it gets wet it’s going to stick all the sides of the blender and make it harder to have it distributed well in the mixture. 

So, add your fennel tops, the peppers, masa mixture and about a cup of broth in the blender. Blend it up until nice and smooth. 

Then using a strainer, strain the mixture straight into the pot of corn and broth. Be sure stir frequently because the masa is going to thicken up pretty quickly. The texture you’re going for is that of like a chowder where it’s kind of thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. You don’t want it to be too watery, trust me on this. Adjust your salt preference and serve it with a sprinkle of chili and a squeeze of lime. 

Bon Appétit! 

Atole de Grano

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cans of sweet corn (or 2-3 cups of fresh cut corn kernels)

4 cups of vegetable broth, divided

2 star anise pods

2 poblano peppers, seeded

1-2 jalapeño peppers (depending on spice tolerance)

1 cup fresh fennel tops

1/2 cup masa harina

1tsp salt

Optional: chili powder, lime wedges 

In a medium pot over medium heat combine drained corn, 2 cups of vegetable broth and star anise. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Remove stems and seeds from 2 poblano peppers. Roughly chop 1-2 jalapeños.

Remove green tops of fennel bulb, rinse and place in a blender. Add peppers and set aside. 

In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup masa harina and 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Stir until well combined and a paste like texture forms. Add mixture into blender.

Add remaining broth into blender and blend on high until smooth. 

Strain mixture directly into pot of corn. Stir frequently until soup thickens.

Soup is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. 

Serve with a sprinkle of chili and a squeeze of fresh lime.