Venezuelan Food-Cachapas

CACHAPAS I

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Corn kernels, fresh or frozen -- 4 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• Cornstarch -- 1/2 cup
• Melted butter or olive oil -- 2 tablespoons
• Sugar -- 1 tablespoon
• Salt -- 2 teaspoons
• Water -- as needed

Method

1. If using frozen corn, thaw it first. Add the corn, cornstarch, butter or oil, sugar and salt to a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth but still a little chunky. Add water as needed to give the batter a consistency a little thicker than heavy cream.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium flame. Wipe the skillet with a little oil or butter and add about 1/2 cup of the batter to the skillet and spread it out a bit. Turn when the surface bubbles and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, and brown on the other side.
3. Hold in a warm oven and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot, spread with butter or folded around your favorite filling.

Variations

• Costa Rican Chorreadas: Add a little more sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla if you like. Spread with sour cream when finished and serve with eggs or gallo pinto for a great Costa Rican breakfast.
• For chunkier cachapas, reserve about 1/2 cup of the corn kernels and keep them whole. Stir them into the pureed batter.
• Substitute milk for the water if you like.

CACHAPAS II

Ingredients

• 2 ears fresh corn
• 2 tablespoons masa harina
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 pound Venezuelan cheese, sliced (Queso blanco, mozzarella, or feta can be substituted)

Directions

Scrape corn kernels from the cobs; run the back of your knife along the cob to extract all the corn liquid. Put corn into a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the kernels. Add masa harina and salt and pulse to incorporate. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Divide the mixture into 4 and make 4 corn cakes. Cover and let the cakes cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and carefully flip the cachapas over. Press on them with a spatula to flatten them a bit. Cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes; they should be a dark golden brown. Top with the cheese and cover until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

 Ingredients

    2 ears fresh corn
    2 tablespoons masa harina
    Pinch kosher salt
    1 teaspoon canola oil
    1/4 pound Venezuelan cheese, sliced (Queso blanco, mozzarella, or feta can be substituted)

Directions

Scrape corn kernels from the cobs; run the back of your knife along the cob to extract all the corn liquid. Put corn into a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the kernels. Add masa harina and salt and pulse to incorporate. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Divide the mixture into 4 and make 4 corn cakes. Cover and let the cakes cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and carefully flip the cachapas over. Press on them with a spatula to flatten them a bit. Cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes; they should be a dark golden brown. Top with the cheese and cover until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.