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LauraLovingLife
Now, hold your horses, I didn’t whip these up in the old-fashioned way. But let me tell you, they turned out ridiculously good!
So, why did I even bother making these? Great question! Let me enlighten you. I stumbled upon a bag of Masarepa on sale for a whopping 65 cents. I mean, come on, a bargain like that can’t be ignored, right? I was like, “I can definitely whip something up with this!” And to top it off, it’s gluten-free! Who knew thrifty cooking could be this amusing?
Arepas are like the divas of the corn world. They are quite picky about their cornmeal, insisting on the one and only masarepa, (Goya is a popular brand). It’s like they have a VIP pass to the most exclusive grocery stores (Kidding, I found it at the Food Lion), making sure it’s always found in the international section. A corny diva indeed!
I stumbled upon a tempting deal for Goya, which naturally led to the creation of Arepas. Who knew a sale could inspire a delicious culinary adventure! 🌽🥑
So, you might be wondering, what on earth are these Arepas? Well, they’re like the cheese’s favorite playground – a corn cake with not just one, but two types of cheese! Picture this: one cheese is in the batter, doing its cheesy dance, while the other is waiting inside, ready to surprise you with its gooey goodness. Normally, it’s queso fresco and mozzarella taking on these roles, but I had some rebellious feta that demanded to be part of the show, so I said, “Aye, aye, captain!” To top it all off, I invited some green onions to join the cheesy party for that extra zing. Let’s just say, these Arepas are not your average cheese affair!
These arepas are so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making them every day! The dough is a simple mix of masarepa, water, milk, salt, cheese, and butter. After giving it some time to rest and firm up (because, let’s face it, we all need a little me-time), you take a handful of dough and work your magic – shaping it into a patty. A hamburger press makes this job a breeze! Then comes the fun part: you stuff it with shredded mozzarella, fold it over, and give it a good squish. Now, onto the griddle it goes, sizzling away on medium-high heat. Voilà, a little piece of cheesy, doughy heaven to brighten your day!
Add a handful of cornmeal, a pinch of salt, and a generous amount of shredded queso fresco (I went rogue and used Feta and threw in some cheeky green onions) in a decent-sized bowl. Whisk everything together like you’re creating a whirlwind romance. In a saucepan, heat up some water, milk, and butter until it’s feeling all steamy and scalded (but not reaching boiling point, we’re not making a hot tub here). Turn off the heat, we don’t want any drama. Now, pour that hot milk and water concoction into the cornmeal mix and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon, like you’re mixing the beats at a hot party. Then, let it sit and ponder the meaning of life for a solid 5 minutes. Cue the dramatic pause.
Preheat the griddle to a nice and cozy medium-low temperature (about 350 degrees, if you want to get technical). Now, it’s time to get your hands dirty – literally! Grab a handful of dough, let’s say about ⅓ cup, rounded (no need to break out the kitchen scale for this). Then, put those sculpting skills to good use and form the dough into a 5-inch patty. If you happen to have a hamburger press, consider yourself lucky – it’ll make this step a breeze, and who doesn’t love an easy breezy cooking experience, right? Now, here comes the cheesy part – quite literally. Add a pinch of shredded mozzarella right into the center of your dough patty, and then perform some dough origami by folding the edges over the cheese to envelop it snugly, forming a delightful little doughy ball. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough until you have a grand total of 10 cheesy dough balls. Who says cooking can’t be both delicious and entertaining?
Flatten those dough balls into 4–5-inch patties, like you’re giving them a little doughy hug. Smooth out any cracks, because we don’t want any emotional breakdowns here. Pop them onto the preheated griddle and repeat for the rest of the dough gang. Cook until they’ve got those charred spots that say, “I’ve been around the griddle,” about 4 minutes per side. Let those patties cool off for a couple of minutes – no one likes a hot-headed patty, right? Then it’s time to serve them up hot, because who doesn’t love a hot and sizzling patty?
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”
― Ruth Reichl
Enjoy,
LauraLovingLife
LauraLovingLife
Arepas Con Queso
Equipment
- Hamburger Press
- Medium bowl
- Griddle
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups Cornmeal (Masarepa) Don't buy just any cornmeal, masarepa is precooked.
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 oz Shredded queso fresco I used feta, and I added green onions.
- 4 oz Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Add cornmeal, salt, and shredded queso fresco (I used Feta and added in green onion) in a medium/large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add water, milk, and butter to a saucepan and heat until scalded (steaming but not boiling). Turn off heat. Add hot milk/water mixture to cornmeal mix. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined and then let sit for 5 minutes.
- Preheat griddle to medium-low (about 350 degrees). Grab a handful of dough (about ⅓ cup, rounded) and form into a 5-inch patty (using a hamburger press made this a breeze). Add a pinch of shredded mozzarella into the center and fold the patty edges over the center to envelope the cheese into the dough, forming into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough. You should have 10 balls.
- Flatten each ball into a 4-5 inch patty, smoothing the edges if they start to crack. Place onto preheated griddle. Repeat with rest of the dough balls. Cook until both sides get dark spots from cooking and get firm on the outside. This should take about 4 minutes per side.
- Let cool for about 3 minutes and then serve. Serve hot.
