Arepas
Take yellow or white hominy and transform it into these cheesy arepas!
Servings 6 Arepas
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cut hominy/maiz blanco
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried cilantro or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup cotija cheese
- 6 oz. Oaxaca monterey jack or muenster cheese, shredded
- Olive oil
Instructions
- 1. Rinse the maiz blanco well to remove some of the starch. Cover with water and soak overnight.
- 2. Drain the maiz and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until maiz is tender.
- 3. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Transfer to the food processor, add salt, pepper, garlic , cilantro and olive oil. Process until dough forms, using a spatula to push it down as needed in between processing. Add the cotija cheese and pulse a few times just until mixed in.
- 4. Transfer maiz dough to a bowl. Fill a small bowl with water. With wet hands, form 6 equal balls and press gently with the palms of your hands to form a 4 inch arepa cake. If you are filling the center with cheese, add 1 oz. to the center of the cake and form the dough around the cheese. Pat back into a cake form as best you can. Wet your hands as needed so dough does not stick. Transfer to a plate that is lined with wax paper. Add wax paper in between the layers of stacked arepas. Cover and let rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- 5. Preheat a griddle, comal(griddle)or a large skillet to medium heat for a few minutes. Add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Place arepas on hot surface and cook for 5 minutes per side, more or less. These will be a lot softer than when you use the pre-cooked arepa corn flour.
Notes
Tips~ Rinse several times before you soak and after the maiz is fully cooked in cool water to remove excess starch from hominy.