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Here is Southwestern comfort food par excellance. A masa dough is stuffed with cheese and then served with salsa, or better, avocado creama. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, appetizer or just a snack du jour. Here are both recipes for your pleasure.

The crema is universal. Use it in place of salsa, with chicken, in tacos or any similar food, atop scrambled eggs. There are a zillion ways to enjoy the delightful flavor.

Why, why you could even use it with chips!


Cheese Stuffed Pupusas

Yield: serves 5 or so

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • 1 ¾ to 2 cups warm water
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the masa harina, 1% cups of the warm water, and the salt and stir together until smooth. Using the palms of your hands, knead the dough together until it becomes one mass. You want the dough to be a similar consistency to Play-Doh. If it feels too dry, add the remaining % cup warm water and knead again. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Add the 2 tablespoons cold water to the rested dough and knead the dough for 2 minutes, until the water is fully incorporated.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, about 2 ounces each, and roll into balls the size of golf balls.

Hold one of the balls of dough in the palm of your hand. Gently press your free thumb into the center of the ball to form an indentation. Then start to flatten the dough to form a larger disk so it looks like a small bowl. To the center of the disk, add 2 teaspoons of the cheese. Bring the edges of the disk over the cheese and squeeze together to form a ball shape of dough so the cheese is secured inside. Gently work the ball of dough into a flat disk about 3 inches in diameter. Brush the disk with olive oil, place on a plate, and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Repeat this process for the remaining pupusas.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay two pupusas in the skillet at a time and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until the outsides are golden brown and the dough has slightly puffed.

Serve immediately with a salsa of your choice or, as pictured, an avocado crema.


Avocado Crema

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 Hass avocado
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Milk if needed to thin

Preparation:

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin, and place the avocado in a food processor bowl. Add the sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse for 1 minute, until smooth. Add about 1 tablespoon milk—just enough until the mixture thins out to the consistency of a ranch dressing. Add another tablespoon of milk if you need to thin it out even more. Season with salt as needed. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Source: Absolutely Avocados by Gaby Dalkin [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013]

Photo Information: Canon T2i, 18-55mm Macro Lens, f/3.5, 1/20th second, ISO-3200