Avena de la Abuela
Avena de la Abuela·(ah-beh-nah deh lah ah-bweh-lah)
Desayuno & Almuerzo – The Morning Bridge
American oatmeal is often treated as utilitarian fuel—a dense, quick vehicle for getting out the door. Mexican avena is a completely different animal. It’s pure, unadulterated comfort that sits halfway between a porridge and a rich beverage. The amateur mistake is dumping everything into the pot at once, leaving you with scorched milk and gluey paste. The secret here is sequence: you first brew a potent cinnamon tea to coax out the aromatics, simmer the oats in that spiced broth, and fold in the milk only at the very end for a deeply resonant, fresh creaminess.
Ingredients
- water2 cup
- Ceylon cinnamon stick1 med
- dark brown sugar3 tbsp
- kosher salt1/8 tsp
- old-fashioned rolled oats1 cup
- whole milk1 1/2 cup
- pure vanilla extract1 tsp
- ground cinnamon1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Brew a potent cinnamon tea.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water, cinnamon stick, dark brown sugar, and salt to a rolling boil, letting it vigorously bubble for 3 to 5 minutes until the liquid turns a beautiful amber.
- 02
Hydrate the oats in the spiced water.
Stir the rolled oats into the boiling tea, drop the heat to medium-low, and let them simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until they plump up and absorb the liquid.
- 03
Integrate the dairy slowly.
Once the water is mostly absorbed, pour in the whole milk and return the pot to a very gentle simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes, taking care not to let it boil aggressively so the milk doesn't break.
- 04
Finish with vanilla.
Take the pot off the heat, discard the cinnamon stick, stir in the vanilla extract, and ladle into bowls immediately with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
Notes
Swap in evaporated milk for a nostalgic upgrade.
Replacing a half cup of the whole milk with evaporated milk is a classic grandmother move that adds an incredibly rich, historically resonant depth to the bowl.
From Cook Mexican in America.