1. In a large saucepan with a lid, bring to a boil 1½ quarts of water. Add the tempeh and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the tempeh completely, sprinkle with the soy sauce, and set aside until it’s cool enough to handle. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, and ground pepper until smooth. Fold in the green onions, jicama, and cooled tempeh and turn to coat completely with the mayonnaise mixture. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes so that flavors blend.
2. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and slice the flesh into ¼-inch slices. To assemble, slice the hot arepas three-quarters of the way through horizontally, leaving one end intact, so that you create a pocket (a little bit like a pita bread). If you prefer, you may scoop out a little bit of the doughy insides to create more room for the fillings. Layer some avocado slices into the arepa, then generously pack in as much of the tempeh filling as possible.
3. Serve immediately. Stuffed arepas are completely messy eating, but that’s part of the fun! If desired, serve with your favorite hot sauce.
Variation
Traditional Petits Pois:
The traditional filling contains peas, the tiny and sweet
petits pois
variety. If you can’t get fresh, then frozen
petits pois
are the only way to go (do not use canned). Add ½ cup lightly cooked (tender but still bright green)
petits pois
along with the green onions.
SAVORY FRESH CORN PANCAKES (CACHAPAS)
•
Makes about eight 6-inch pancakes
My favorite Venezuelan food might be
cachapas
, sweet and savory fresh corn pancakes.
Cachapas
are served with soft cheese and eaten as a hearty breakfast, light lunch, or snack . . . if it’s possible to stop oneself from eating the whole batch.
Making a great
cachapa
had long bedeviled my family because fresh corn grown in the United States is rather watery compared to the corn in South America and difficult to form into a sturdy pancake. That and constructing a vegan version without eggs took some practice. With the help of some nontraditional ingredients, at last I arrived at a vegan
cachapa
that tastes as good as I remember.
Cachapas
are made quite big in Venezuela but petite pancakes cook faster and withstand flipping better. Fresh corn is vastly preferable to frozen.
Serve with your favorite nonhydrogenated vegan margarine. While it’s not traditional, I also love slices of avocado and tomato on
cachapas
. Or even a healthy dab of Creamy Avocado-Tomato Salsa (page 39).
3 generous cups fresh or frozen
corn kernels (thawed and drained,
if frozen)
½ cup soy or other nondairy milk
⅓ cup Venezuelan- or Colombian-style
masarepa
(don’t use Mexican
masa harina)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed,
preferably golden
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Peanut or corn oil, or
high-smoking-point nonstick
cooking spray, for frying
Shredded, meltable mozzarella-style
vegan cheese (optional)
1. In a blender jar, combine the corn, soy milk,
masarepa
, flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse everything until a thick chunky batter is formed with a consistency similar to that of creamed corn. If necessary, stir the ingredients with a rubber spatula (not while the blender is running, of course) to make sure everything is blended together. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes and stir a few times before using.
2. While the batter is resting, heat a large, well-seasoned cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat. It’s ready to use when a few drops of water flicked on its surface sizzle immediately. Generously oil the surface of pan with the oil or cooking spray.
3. Scoop ⅓ cup of batter and spread on the cooking surface, using a circular motion to evenly distribute the batter. Keep your
cachapa
less than ⅜ inch thick. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until most of the pancake’s surface is no longer shiny wet and the edges appear solid. Slide a wide, thin spatula underneath the pancake and carefully flip it over. The cooked side of the
cachapa
should be golden brown. Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes and lift it off the pan with a spatula.
4. To serve with vegan cheese, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the cooked top of the
cachapa
after you’ve flipped it the first time. After the bottom has cooked for 2 minutes, fold the pancake over the cheese like an omelet. Cook for another minute or so to allow cheese to melt, flip one more time, and serve.
5. Serve immediately or stack on a serving plate.
Tips for the Cachapa Chef
• If your
cachapas
fall apart when flipping, try making them slightly smaller. Use ¼ cup of batter.
• An evenly heated cooking surface is key for well-browned
cachapas
. If your kitchen range isn’t the most even surface in the world, occasionally move your pan around to help distribute the heat. It’s easy to tell things are a little lopsided if your pancakes are scorched on one side and pale on the other.
• Dark brown scorch marks are completely acceptable, even desired on a cachapa’s surface.
• Cast iron is superior for
cachapa
cooking, as it conducts high heat ideally. Nonstick surfaces may lead to pale, an emic-looking pancakes.
11
YOU, TOO, CAN TAMALE
F
or the uninitiated,
tamale
is the name for a wide group of foods based on masa harina, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and either steamed or boiled. Almost any filling or sauce, savory or sweet, can find its way into tamales. Tamales have many different names and ingredients in Central America, the Caribbean, and many parts of South America . . . the combination of softly steamed masa surrounding yummy fillings makes for substantial street food or a festive meal when dressed up with side dishes. They have the advantage of often being portable and tasty (tamales were the “fast food” of Aztec warriors, after all!). The following recipes are Mexican-ish in flavor and style.
TAMALE TIPS FOR EVERYBODY
Tamales freeze beautifully and are so easy to reheat on the stove or in a microwave. Many a frozen (months old, even) tamale has kept me going when the cupboards were bare. But I cannot tell a lie . . . if you’re hungry right now, you should just make a salad or microwave a frozen burrito and not attempt a few dozen tamales. Even if you dropped everything and poured your undivided attention into tamale making, you probably wouldn’t see a ready-to-eat morsel for two hours. So before you’re starving and up to your elbows in tamale masa, please carefully go over the following tips!
That said, I promise, with a little advance planning, you’ll soon be more stuffed with tamale goodness than a chile relleno. The tamale recipes in this book make a lot. It takes almost the same amount of energy (both human and kitchen appliance) to make a dozen as it does three dozen tamales, so if you’ve set aside the time, it’s always better to make as many as you can stand (just freeze ’em!). And if you have help, the assembly stage goes fast.
With some time, the right ingredients, and a little technique, a big batch of the tamales of your dreams can be yours. You do dream of tamales as much as I do, right?
Shopping and Ingredients
Buy more corn husks than you think you may need: I usually pick up at least two packs of husks. Corn husks are natural products and therefore can vary widely in shape, consistency, quality, and quantity from brand to brand, even package to package. Buy the largest, cleanest-looking husks packed in thick, neat bundles. Store any leftover dry corn husks in a large, loosely sealed plastic or paper bag.
Unless specifically stated, most of the tamales in this book require Mexican-style masa harina. Nothing else will do. For the easiest tamale making, look for instant masa harina. This harina (which simply means “flour” in Spanish) is made from corn treated with lime water and ground into a fine, silky, off-white flour. The most common brand I find in the Northeast is MASECA, which is sold in 5-pound white paper sacks. When in doubt, check to see where your masa harina is made or imported from: it should be from Mexico (or perhaps Central America), but for Mexican tamale-making avoid
masarepa
from Colombia or Venezuela, as it is an entirely different kind of corn flour product. Do not confuse
maicena
with masa harina, either . . . it’s Spanish for “cornstarch”!
Tamales wrappers are easily tied with shreds of corn husk. However, if you suspect you’ll be short on husks, use cotton kitchen string to tie the ends of the tamales.
Preparing the Corn Husks
Dried corn husks must be soaked prior to using, to make them soft and bendable. To get them tamale ready, carefully separate the husks. Don’t bother peeling each and every one apart. Just pull apart in bunches of two or four at a time, whatever easily separates without too much effort. For the savory tamales in this book, you’ll need, minimum, two dozen long husks at least 4 inches wide; extra husks are always a good idea. Since dried husks are often not uniform in size, you’ll want to pull out a few more, perhaps compensating with two smaller husks for one great big husk. Once you start making tamales, you’ll soon see size does matter.
To soak the dried husks, fill a large, deep pan with at least 3 inches of warm water. A large lasagne pan works great for this. Press the husks down into the pan to immerse them in the water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, occasionally swishing the water around to help loosen up any husks that may be sticking to one another. The husks are ready to use when soft and easily pliable.
If using corn husks for tying tamales, take two to three long husks and tear into ½-inch-thick ribbons with your fingers. Leave them in the water to remain pliable while you are assembling the tamales.
Preparing Your Work Station and Assembling
Setting up a tamale assembly line will take you far, especially if you’re stuck making the whole batch by yourself (oh well, more tamales for you). I prepare for assembly and set up my workspace in the following order:
1. Prepare and soak the corn husks: at least 24 for the savory tamales, 2 to 3 for tearing into strips to tie them with, plus 6 or more for lining the steamer basket.
2. Prepare the filling, as it will cool enough to handle while you’re making the masa and doing other things.
3. Set up the actual tamale assembly space, such as a large, clean cutting board and extra-large plates for stacking the finished tamales.
4. Set up steaming basket including filling steaming pot with 3 to 4 inches of water and lining the steaming basket with a few extra soaked corn husks.
5. Make the tamale dough. I like to make it right before I’m ready to start the filling, and use it warm. If you can’t use your tamale dough right away, place in a mixing bowl, cover the top very tightly with plastic wrap, and chill. Use within a day and allow the dough to warm to room temperature before using.
6. Assemble the tamales by spreading the dough onto the soaked husks, then filling, wrapping, and tying. About halfway through making the batch of tamales, I like to put a lid on the steaming pot and try to get the water boiling over high heat by the time I finish the last tamale.
7. Place the tamales in the steamer basket. The easiest way to do this is by leaning the tamales against the sides of the basket, overlapping them slightly in a spiraling pattern. If you have too much space in the center (enough that tamales are falling over), fill the space with a crumpled ball of foil or a small cup or bowl. Don’t pack the tamales too snugly; leave a little room to allow them to expand while cooking. Place the basket into the preheated pot, cover, and steam the tamales for at least 50 minutes, up to 1 hour 15 minutes.