Ring in the New Year with Chef Medrano easy Champurrado recipe!

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Celebrate New Year with Chef Medrano champurrado, a traditional, warm, cinnamon-flavored corn beverage perfect for festive heritage connections.

As the year draws to a close, many individuals seek to embrace their heritage through festive rituals. Chef Medrano is no exception, opting to celebrate with a time-honored drink, champurrado, steeped in pre-conquest tradition. This warm, corn-based beverage infused with cinnamon evokes cherished familial memories for Medrano, making it an ideal addition to New Year’s Eve festivities.

Having spent his childhood in both San Antonio, Texas, and Nava, Coahuila, a town near the Mexican border, Medrano deeply values the cultural importance of champurrado. He describes it as a “gastronomic bridge” that connects the past with the present. More than a tasty treat, this traditional beverage is a tangible link to one’s ancestry and historical roots.

The preparation of champurrado begins with corn, an essential ingredient in the diets of pre-conquest Mesoamericans, and later, the broader North American region. The corn is first boiled with slaked lime, calcium hydroxide, in a process known as nixtamalization, which not only boosts the nutritional value but also enhances the corn’s natural, nutty taste. This treated corn is then processed into a fine corn masa or dried to create corn flour, masa harina.

This corn base is then combined with water and aromatic spices like cinnamon and vanilla to create a rich, creamy drink. Adding milk is optional. The final product is a soothing, warm beverage, ideal for chilly evenings and special events like New Year’s Eve.

Chef Medrano shares his family’s cherished champurrado recipe, providing an opportunity for others to integrate this traditional drink into their own New Year’s celebrations. This recipe, which he reveals below, invites everyone to partake in a celebration that honors both the future and the past with this ancient, delectable drink.

Champurrado Recipe
Featured in the cookbook “Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes,” by Texas Tech University Press.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• 3 cups water
• An additional 2 cups water
• 6-inch Mexican canela (cinnamon) stick
• 1 cup fresh corn masa or corn flour, masa harina
• 4-1/2 ounces of Mexican chocolate

Preparation Steps

1. Start by simmering 3 cups of water with cinnamon and chocolate in a saucepan for 15 minutes, until the chocolate fully dissolves.
2. Dissolve the corn flour or masa in two cups of water in another saucepan. Gradually add this mixture to the chocolate, stirring continuously. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to thicken. Then, remove the cinnamon stick and let the mixture cool slightly.
3. Blend the mixture in a blender at high speed for a few minutes until the champurrado is smooth and creamy.
   Reheat as desired, making sure not to scorch the bottom of the pan.

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