There are a few dishes that remind me of my Hispanic childhood. They are nostalgic, cozy, and always full of flavor. One of my favorite ones is Cachapas. My mom would make these corn pancakes for us at least once a week. The aroma of butter and corn would fill our home and waking up was always easier when mom had these on the griddle. Today, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m teaming up with Kroger and Sparkling Ice® to share with you my mom’s authentic recipe for Venezuelan Cachapas.
This is a simple recipe and a very traditional dish that we all crave and long for. It starts off with fresh corn, and it’s all mixed in a food processor with masa harina (a traditional corn flour), sugar, butter, and milk. Of course, you can use your hands or a pestle and mortar if you’re really feeling nostalgic about the way our ancestors made this dish,, but a food processor works really well.
I love pairing the Cachapas with something fun, fruity, and sparkly and for that reason, I grab my Sparkling Ice®. My favorite flavors are Sparkling Ice® Peach Nectarine Sparkling Water and sparkling Ice® Black Raspberry Sparkling Water and I often stock up during my many Kroger runs. I also grab all of my ingredients for this recipe at Kroger. They have great prices, amazing quality, and fresh ingredients.
Sparkling Ice® is the best beverage to accompany your meals because they offer a variety of fruity flavors, with naturally sourced colors that everyone can enjoy. Sparkling Ice® is a zero-sugar sparkling water with a real fruit flavor and packed with vitamins and antioxidants. It’s also a refreshing beverage that brings traditions to life as part of our Hispanic heritage month celebration.
Cheers to refreshing flavors colors and traditions that unite us all.
Here’s my mom’s Venezuelan Cachapas
Ingredients
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
4 Tbs masa harina
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter softened – more for the griddle
8 oz fresh mozzarella – shredded
8 oz fresh feta – crumbled
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse about 20 times or until everything is combined. Scrape the sides every 5 pulses. Set it aside. Heat a large griddle to medium-high heat and add a dab of butter. Add pancake-sized rounds to the griddle and cook for about 10 minutes. Lift the cachapa and look to see if the part that is touching the griddle is golden brown. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes.
These cachapas can be enjoyed any time of the day. I love piling them high with a mixture of feta cheese and mozzarella. Typically, a “queso de mano” is the traditional cheese we would use, however a mixture of mozzarella and feta gives it the perfect saltiness and gooey consistency you would get from “queso de Mano.”
I love celebrating Hispanic heritage month. I think it’s a fun opportunity to reminisce, pull out all traditional recipes, or re-create some of my favorite ones. This year I’m celebrating with my mom who just recently moved to Texas and we’re going through some of our favorite childhood recipes.
