Venezuelan Majarete Recipes

MAJARETE

Steps:

• In a non-stick saucepan, heat the coconut milk, whole milk, panela, lime zest, ground cinnamon, salt and ground cloves over medium heat, stirring frequently until the panela is completely dissolved.
• Add the grated coconut and beat well with a whisk.
• When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and, over medium-low heat, gradually add the cornmeal, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
• The mixture is ready when it thickens and the bottom of the pot is visible when a wooden spoon is passed through the mixture.
• Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lime rind.
• Immediately pour the mixture into a deep round, square, or rectangle mold or several individual ones, and let cool completely before refrigerating for 4 hours before serving.
• To serve, unmould, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and grated coconut.

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.