Cachapas

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 can corn kernels
• some corn flour or corn semolina
• 1 egg(s)
• some oil
• some white cheese (e.g. mozzarella or similar), grated
• possibly ham

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

Cachapas from Venezuela my way

Drain the corn kernels and grind them in a blender, then mix in an egg. To thicken the batter slightly, add some cornflour or, even better, cornmeal. The batter should be thick and almost drop off the spoon. It doesn’t have to be homogeneous; it can contain chunks or be coarser. Brush the pan with oil or wipe it with a kitchen towel so that only a very thin film of oil remains. The pan should be well-coated and large. Don’t let it get too hot; use medium heat instead, otherwise the cachapas will become too dark, as they take longer to dry out and cook. Then add the cachapas to the pan. Fry a tablespoon of batter, about the size of your palm, in the pan. Pour several palm-sized cachapas into a large pan at once. Wait until the batter has set and firmed up. Then carefully turn them over with a wooden spatula. Immediately sprinkle the hot side with grated cheese (e.g., for pizza) or top with a small slice of cheese. You can also use mozzarella; the cheese should melt easily, so add it to the flatbreads immediately after turning. Let the cachapas bake on the other side until the cheese has melted nicely and they have browned on the bottom, then remove and eat while still warm. The fresh corn kernels give the cachapas a slightly sweet taste, which pairs well with a more bitter cheese (e.g., pizza cheese) and offers a wonderful taste experience. Normally, cachapas in Venezuela are baked in larger batches like egg pancakes, but the process is the same: they are made with fresh corn kernels. Since we don’t always have fresh corn here, I used canned corn, and that works too. You can also top them with cooked ham and feta cheese. Venezuelans call it “queso blanco,” meaning white cheese, so it can also be sheep or goat cheese. However, it’s not to everyone’s taste.