Cachapas With Cheese

Cachapas topped with Pabillon Criollo (Pulled Beef)

Serve pabellon criollo (pulled beef) over the top.

Ingredients for cachapas:
2 ears fresh corn
2 T masa harina
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 pound Venezuelan cheese, sliced (queso blanco, queso de mano, or with butter and queso rayado,; mozzarella, or feta can be substituted)

Preparing the cachapas:
Scrape corn kernels from the cobs; run the back of your knife along the cob to extract all the corn liquid. Put corn into a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the kernels. Add masa harina and salt and pulse to incorporate. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Divide the mixture into 4 and make 4 corn cakes. Cover and let the cakes cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and carefully flip the cachapas over. Press on them with a spatula to flatten them a bit. Cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes; they should be a dark golden brown. Top with the cheese and cover until the cheese has melted.

Serves 6 to 8