Queso De Mano Recipes

VENEZUELAN CACHAPAS

Steps:

• 1. Mix all of the ingredients together in the same order as listed. You can do it by hand or you can use a blender to reduce the corn kernels as much as possible. Let the mix rest for about 5 minutes while is thickens.
• 2. Heat up a griddle on medium high until water dances on the surface (put a couple of drops of water on the griddle and they should dance across the griddle). With a ladle, add the mix on the griddle as if making pancakes. Flip the carefully as they tend to break easily. They should turn golden brown when they are ready.
• 3. Enjoy them by folding them with a piece of cheese inside. Generally, the cheese used is called Queso de Mano, but if you cannot find it, you can try a slice of Mexican Queso Fresco, or a soft and creamy cheese (not sharp), and as a last resort, Feta cheese. Top up with a dollop of Mexican Sour Cream (Crema Mexicana) or Salvarodian Sour Cream (Crema Salvaroneña).
• 4. You can place the finish product (without the cream) in a warm oven to help the cheese melt quicker. Enjoy them while they are still warm.

CACHAPAS (VENEZUELAN CORN PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Add the crema, half of the corn, eggs, sugar and salt to a blender and blend until the mixture is evenly combined but still chunky. Add the arepa flour and the remaining corn, then blend until a thick, even batter forms with pieces of corn still visible. Let the batter sit a couple of minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or a griddle over medium heat until warm and spray generously with cooking spray. Add two 1/4-cup scoops of the batter, spacing them apart, to form 2 pancakes. Smooth each out with the back of your measuring cup to form a 5-inch-wide pancake, making sure the center is thin and flat -- the center takes longer to cook and if mounded will make the pancake much harder to flip. Cook until the bottoms are dark brown, almost black, about 5 minutes. While the pancakes cook, shred or slice your cheese, if necessary.
• Flip the pancakes and top one of them with a quarter of the cheese. Cook until the cheese melts, about 3 minutes, then top the cheese with the second pancake. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
• Make more cachapas with the remaining batter and cheese, wiping out the previous oil and spraying the skillet or griddle generously with cooking spray for each batch. Once all of the cachapas are filled with cheese, top each with a half tablespoon of butter and serve with crema on the side, for dipping.