Hot off the global griddle
GRIDDLE cakes are elemental. Like porridge and roasted meat, they’re ancient preparations, seemingly slapped together at the fireside for as long as humans have gathered around that fire to eat. But in cooking, elemental never means unchanging. Corn griddle cakes, for example, simple folk food in dozens of cultures, come in many guises. Venezuelan or Columbia arepas. Oaxacan clayudas. Indonesian bregedel jagung. All-American cornmeal pancakes.
They may be basic, but they can have amazing flavor and texture, whatever the country of origin.
At Posh on Pico, a cafe with Latino-inspired food, chef-owner Maricarmen Rodriguez’s omelets and breakfast dishes come with arepas rather than hash browns or toast. Made with finely ground, precooked white corn flour, arepas are a mainstay in Colombia, where they are thin, and in Venezuela, where they’re thick and often stuffed with meat or vegetables. Like tortillas, they’re a bread-like staple, once made of corn pounded in a mortar and pestle and cooked on an earthenware griddle. In South America, arepas are often topped with or wrapped around slices of melting cheese, but some are stuffed with grated mild white cheese. Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, adds queso fresco, mozzarella or feta cheese to the batter, which is kneaded as it’s mixed.
The best way to eat arepas is straight off the griddle. They’re finger food, like toast, meant to be spread with butter or jam, or used as a scoop to eat other foods on the plate. Rodriguez’s arepas are thin, with a creamy flavor reminiscent of grits. But comparisons don’t apply. They may be patted out like tortillas, cooked on a griddle like pancakes and bring to mind your favorite cheese-grits recipe, but arepas have their own unique flavor and texture.
Fresh corn kernels are the basis for bregedel jagung, savory Indonesian corn cakes with shrimp and green onions. Corn was introduced to certain parts of Indonesia by the Spanish in the 17th century, notably to an island off Java called Madura.
Finely chopped shrimp, onions, celery, garlic and cilantro are mixed with eggs, corn and a little cream. The sweetness of the corn and cream is balanced by the distinctive brininess of the shrimp and the crunch of the herbs and vegetables.
These corn cakes make a terrific appetizer, two or three to a serving, or offered on a platter at a buffet. Although arepas and cornmeal pancakes are best straight off the griddle, they can be kept at room temperature, the way much food is eaten in Indonesia. That makes them perfect party food.
For the cakes that call for corn kernels, remember that Mexican corn is available in our markets year-round. Though it’s too tough in the winter to be great for eating on the cob, it works admirably in these dishes.
When making corn cakes, use a griddle, or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet -- or whatever you’d use to make pancakes. Rodriguez’s trick of flattening arepa dough between plastic sheets made from plastic bags (sturdier than regular plastic wrap) works well, or you can keep a bowl of water handy and moisten your fingers from time to time to keep the dough from sticking as you work. The malt-enriched corn pancakes from Doughboys cafe on West 3rd Street cook like regular pancakes, but quickly; they need just a minute or two per side. Bregedel jagung are like fritters and have good body. They’re easily managed as you cook and don’t spread too much but retain a nice shape.
However you slap ‘em together, remember that you’re in good company -- the ghosts of a long line of griddle-cake makers are surely hovering around you as you work, waiting for one more delectable bite.
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Cheese arepas
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: Makes about 40 (3-inch) arepas
Note: From Maricarmen Rodriguez of Posh on Pico. Arepa masa is available at selected Latino markets. It may be labeled masa arepa, areparina or harina de pan.
3 cups arepa masa
1/4 cup finely crumbled
queso fresco
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1. Combine the arepa masa, cheese and salt in a bowl.
2. Combine the water, milk and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool until just warm enough to touch.
3. Add a little of the warm milk mixture to the masa mixture and knead to mix. Add a little more liquid and knead again, continuing until you have incorporated all the liquid and the mixtures have combined to make a dough.
3. To make the arepas, take a scant one-fourth cup dough, form into a ball and pat out between the palms of your hands like a tortilla, and to about the same thickness. Or cut a resealable plastic bag in half to make 2 plastic sheets. Place a ball of dough on one plastic sheet, cover with the other sheet and press flat with a rolling pin or a round object such as a flat-bottomed can. The arepas should be about 3 inches in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth until ready to cook.
4. Heat an ungreased seasoned griddle or nonstick skillet and cook the arepas 2 to 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown. Serve immediately, with butter if desired.
Each arepa: 51 calories; 1 gram protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 66 mg. sodium.
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Bregedel jagung (Indonesian corn cakes)
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: Makes 24 cakes
2 cups fresh corn kernels
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup cooked shrimp, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely diced celery
2 green onions, including some of the tops, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped, plus additional leaves for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1. Combine the corn, eggs, flour and cream in a food processor and blend until the corn is finely chopped and appears creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Remove to a bowl.
2. Add the shrimp, celery, onions, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet. For each cake, add a heaping tablespoon of the corn mixture, well separated, and press to flatten slightly. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and cook the other side until golden, about 3 minutes total.
4. Continue until all the cakes are cooked, placing them on a platter and keeping them warm as you work. Serve as an appetizer or side dish, garnished with cilantro leaves if desired.
Each cake: 35 calories; 2 grams protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 33 mg. cholesterol; 112 mg. sodium.
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Malted cornmeal pancakes with orange-blueberry syrup
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: Makes 18 (4 1/2 -inch)
pancakes.
Note: From Frank Waldman of Doughboys. Malt syrup is available at selected Middle Eastern markets and Whole Foods markets.
Orange-blueberry syrup
Peel of 2 to 3 oranges
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 cups blueberries
1. Peel the oranges with a vegetable peeler, eliminating any white pith. Combine the peel and sugar in a food processor and process 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Place the orange juice in a nonaluminum saucepan. Add the peel-sugar mixture and bring just to a boil, skimming off any foam. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes to reduce slightly.
3. Mix in the blueberries and cook 1 minute. Serve warm.
Pancakes
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup pastry flour (or mix
1/3 cup all purpose flour with 2/3 cup cake flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
kernels
4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons malt syrup
1 tablespoon oil
Orange-blueberry syrup
1. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir to mix. Add the corn to the dry ingredients and mix.
2. Combine 3 tablespoons melted butter, the eggs, buttermilk and malt syrup. Stir into the corn mixture.
3. Heat the griddle. Combine the remaining tablespoon of butter with the oil and brush lightly over the griddle. Pour on about one-fourth cup batter for each pancake. Cook each pancake 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom turns golden brown, then flip, cook the other side, about 3 minutes total. Serve hot with the orange-blueberry syrup on the side.
Each pancake: 229 calories; 4 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 31 mg. cholesterol; 293 mg. sodium.
