Autumn is coming towards us at a hundred miles an hour and it’s time for those days of hot stuff. Meaning: anything hot goes – hot chocolate, hot wine, hot fireplaces, hot duvets, hot…anything (we’ve heard hot people are especially in demand…hugs can keep one warm almost forever!)! Adding to the list of hot things is Café de Olla – a Mexican coffee drink.
Coffee ingredients you keep in the cupboard may include honey, sugar (brown, or white), sweeteners (xylithol and stevia are the most natural/healthy ones we’ve been told?!), honey, cacao to sprinkle on your cappuccino and maybe a flavouring syrup, or two. Have you tried cinnamon in your coffee though? It’s a delicious addition to any cup (in some places they use it instead of cacao for the cappuccino) and in Café de Olla it’s one of the main coffee ingredients. The Mexicans are very specific about how a cup of Café de Olla is supposed to be made, but if in a hurry, why not just try to add a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top of your coffee? Did you know that cinnamon can help balance your blood sugar levels if you use a sweetener as well? Just don’t overdoes on it – too much cinnamon is not good for you. Many say you shouldn’t even use it every day.
Café de Olla from Nibbles and Feasts
Coffee Ingredients:
4 cups water
4 cinnamon sticks
4 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee (36 oz.)
4 tbsp. of brown sugar (piloncillo)
N.B. For better results boil the water in an earthenware pot and serve it in earthenware mugs. According to Mexican cooks, it imparts a more flavorful experience.
Preparation:
Boil 4 cups of water with brown sugar and cinnamon in a clay pot, when boiling add the coffee and turn off heat. Let stand 4 minutes, strain and serve, preferably in clay cups.
You can also add a little rum!
Makes 4 cups
