Thursday, November 19, 2009

Corn cakes

I based this off a combination of a recipe for arepas and a recipe from Recipezaar for corn cakes. I used grits because it was what I had in the house, though a corn meal might be even better and then you could remove the corn starch as an ingredient. I'm still looking for Goya masarepa to make real arepas though! Another option might be to leave out both the oil and the corn starch for a lower fat option.

1 - 1.5 c grits (I started with 1 cup and then added some more when I saw it was too watery)
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 c boiling water
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 Tbsp corn starch

1. Mix the grits and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add the boiling water and stir very well.
3. Add the olive oil and corn starch and stir again.
4. Let it sit, mixing occasionally, until a thick batter is formed.
5. Heat some more olive oil in a skillet and scoop about 1/4 c batter into the pan.
6. Flatten a little with a spatula if you want thin patties, add more batter if you want larger and thicker patties.
7. Fry both sides until crispy and browned. Blot oil so they don't get soggy.
8. Slice open and make your favorite sandwich!