Zucchini arepas: zucchini corn cakes with cheese, salsa, and guacamole
yields: 18 small arepas
Ingredients
- 1½ cups shredded zucchini
- 1-⅔ cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups yellow or white masarepa, pre-cooked ground corn flour (I used Goya's yellow masarepa, which you can find at Latin grocery stores or online)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for frying
- For serving: salsa, guacamole, monterey jack cheese, and/or sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, pour the warm water over the shredded zucchini. Add the olive oil and the salt and gently mix.
- Add the masarepa. Mix well and roll the dough into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Shape the dough into small disks, about 2-3 inches wide.
- Heat a small dab of the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the arepas for 3-4 minutes per side, until crispy and golden brown, adding more butter to the pan after each batch. Transfer to a cookie sheet while you cook all the arepas.
- Bake for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Top immediately with shredded monterey jack cheese and serve with salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream (or whatever other toppings you prefer!)
