Crispy Quinoa Cakes (burger substitute)

Posted on February 4, 2013 by kaprise

The other day I was trying to convince myself that I did NOT need to eat my 3rd burger of the week… I was losing this self-argument, but in a lightbulb of genius I decided to make quinoa patties. I had been thinking about quinoa and black bean vegetarian patties for a few days, so I thought it only natural to use what I had in the house already. I pulled inspiration for these “cakes” or “patties” from here and here. Have you read Yummy Supper before? Excellent pictures, excellent inspiration, and the name is so adorable!! The other blog is a new find, and I’m excited to read more from it!

Crispy Quinoa Cakes (Inspired from Yummy Supper and EYS)

1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 small onion
1 small bunch of parsley
1 cup of cooked brussel sprouts
1 cup of shredded cheese (I used some random raspberry beer cheddar I had languishing in the fridge, but I imagine anything would be good in this! I’m going to try feta next time)
3 eggs whisked
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of flour (optional)
1 cup of olive oil (maybe a little less)

Wash the quinoa and drain well (I find that unless you give the grains a good scrub you end up with a little sandiness so I’m sure to wash them really well and drain in a mesh sieve).
In a saucepan, bring the quinoa to a boil in 2 cups of water. Once the water boils, lower to a simmer and put a lid on it (bahaha… put a lid on it). And let it cook until fluffy (about 20 minutes).
While your quinoa is cooking, get started on the vegetables.
Dice the celery and onion. Put into a large mixing bowl.
Slice the brussel sprouts. I used pre-roasted brussel sprouts, but you could use frozen ones or whatever other green vegetable you have on hand. Add to the mixing bowl.
Chiffonade the parsley and add to the bowl
Grate the carrots, using the large holes on your grater, into the mixing bowl with the other vegetables.
Once your quinoa is done, add to the bowl and stir until evenly incorporated.
Add in the whisked eggs, shredded cheese, and salt/pepper.
Shape the mixture into patties. I used about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each cake (this makes about 16 cakes)
(OPTIONAL: You can dust the patties lightly in flour before frying them, it helps a little with cohesiveness, but I fried with and without flour… so it’s really up to you.)
In a frying pan (I used a non-stick one), heat the olive oil until a little bit of batter sizzles.
Taste the little sample batter and adjust your seasonings accordingly.
Fry the cakes in small batches, allowing them to brown before flipping them. I cooked mine for about 4 minutes on each side.
I let them drain on a cookie cooling rack.

I ate my quinoa cakes with seared scallops and packed the rest of the cakes in a large container with pieces of parchment paper in between layers. To reheat, I simply put them in a frying pan and reheated for a few minutes with a teaspoon of olive oil. These keep well in the fridge for up to a week, but I doubt they will last that long.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I think my recipe might be a little garbled, but I made these in a frantic and starved state (and I’m writing it in the middle of the night)!!

Hazelnut Almond Scones with Chunky Chocolate and Cherries

Posted on January 28, 2013 by kaprise

What a mouthful…. both literally and figuratively. Let me tell you… these scones? Amazing. Totally and utterly drool worthy… these are the scones that you drive an extra 15 miles to a different grocery store to get the right ingredients for. These are the scones that you get heart palpitations when you see someone else reaching for the last one that you wanted to add to your tummy (in addition to the 2 others you stored in there).

Forget the whole wheat thing… these are made of nuts. Nuts!!! This will change your life forever. I mentioned the recipe by Nom Nom Paleo, but being the nudge that I am, I had to tweak it. I couldn’t help it. Anyway – here is my recipe, just adapted a bit.

Hazelnut Almond Scones with Chunky Chocolate and Cherries, a mouthful in every way (Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo)

2 cups of finely ground almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup of finely ground hazelnut mean (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
4 tablespoons of cold butter
2 large eggs (Did I ever tell you guys about the difference in egg size?)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of bourbon vanilla
2 – 3 ounces of good quality dark chocolate, smashed (because baking is all about stress relief)
1/4 cup of dried cherries (I chopped mine in half)

Preheat your oven to 335F (I know. It’s a weird number, but I promise it works)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and a pinch of salt (I didn’t use any because I used a salted chocolate and salted butter, but this is totally your call).
In the dry ingredient bowl, grate the butter (using the chubby grater holes) into the dry mixture. I like to dip my butter into the flours and grate so that the grated butter doesn’t stick. You can also freeze the butter, but I normally just dip and grate.
Once the butter has been grated, crumble the dry ingredients with the butter. Make sure you have some chunky bits. Think the pea-sized bits you want when you make good fluffy biscuits.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, vinegar, honey, and vanilla.
Make a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients.
Combine gently. Your mixture should be cohesive, but very wet.
Gently add the chocolate and cherries. (As I mentioned above, I smashed my chocolate bar. I also used closer to 2.5 ounces because I ate some before I added it to the bowl)
Portion out the dough into even balls and shape on a parchment lined sheet.I managed to make seven large scones, but you can just as easily make daintier ones.
Bake at 335F for 12 minutes before raising the temperature to 350 and rotating the pan. Bake at 350 for another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Gobble them up!!!

Notes:

You will notice that the original recipe used baking soda, but I chose to use baking powder because the smell of the baking soda was unnerving to me. Baking soda and powder are basically the same, except baking powder has cream of tartar in it. For whatever chemical reason, baking powder does not have the same smell. I’m weird about smells… so this made a huge difference. Keep in mind, because baking powder does contain less baking soda (leavening agent), the dramatic rise and pouf of my scones is much less dramatic. However, barring your strange obsession with smell, feel free to use baking soda for the dramatic lift and the pillowier texture.
In the same vein, these scones are not light and fluffy… instead they are moist, a little heavier, and deliciously flavored.
I used a cup of hazelnut flour because I saw it at the store and I figured… why the hell not. It definitely adds a certain nutty flavor and luxuriousness to these scones, but you can also just use almond flour. Also… something important to note? Hazelnut flour smells TERRIBLE, but it bakes perfectly and it loses that strange smell. They turn into beautifully nutty scones.
I did try this recipe with 100% hazelnut flour and NO almond flour… they do not turn out the same because hazelnut flour is a great deal chunkier than almond flour. The resulting “scone” was more of a pile of semi-stuck together ground up hazelnuts. While it was delicious, they were not scone-like in nature.
I am pretty convinced the reason these scones are just so glorious is the quality of ingredients that are used. Most of the ingredients are on the pricier side, but well worth it. I think when you use truly good quality and well sourced ingredients, everything is bound to taste delicious. I’m not really sure why this comment is included, but it popped into my head so I’m leaving it.

Slicing Cheese

Posted on January 8, 2013 by kaprise

Since cheese has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks (along with decorated sugar cookies, bar exams, and lacy dresses), I thought I would also point out of few things about slicing cheese.

Until I spent the summer in France (almost 10 years ago now), I was like most American kids born in the 80’s. My cheese came in flat, plasticky squares, and melted over hot macaroni in a cheesy mess. Anything else came in rubbery cubes on a tray filled with dusty grapes. Then, I went to France. I was 16. And from the moment I landed, I was told by my host lady that “Parson’s nosing” cheese was very “American” of me and then she launched into a lecture on cheese in rapid French. I caught… 1%.

Anyway, the concept of cutting cheese was so ingrained in me by my host AND my French language teacher (who gave an entire 2 hour lecture on the proper way to purchase, present, slice, and eat cheese). So here I am, ten years later, thinking about how I should explain this to other people too, since I did just post about cheese.

We can get all crazy and discuss types of knives, types of cheese boards, presentation skills, the order cheeses should be presented, and other details that I was very firmly told to do. But, I think that food should be enjoyed, and fretting over small details that make very little difference in taste is not always best.

However, the French DO know cheese, and typically French etiquette on slicing cheese properly also preserves flavor, integrity and enjoyment of cheese. Which is why I find it important to know proper slicing.

Typically, you should keep 4 things in mind.

Serve cheese at room temperature and uncut, as cut pieces of cheese dry and lose flavor quickly
Serve cheeses in order of pungency from least to most
Use a separate knife for each type of cheese
Slice cheese according to type and shape*

*While slicing cheese in a specific manner is etiquette, it does preserve the integrity of the cheese and the flavors. By slicing in the specified manner, cheese is consumed in even quantities of rind and cheese… textures and flavors in cheese are different from rind to center, hence the reason to slice in specific ways so that each consumer gets to sample the center and outer portions of cheese in a serving.

Cutting Cheeses for Dummies had a good explanation… I’ve posted it below with the chart.

Small wheels, discs, pyramids, or squares: Positioning the knife in the center of the cheese, cut into even, wedge-like slices (image A).
Wedges of soft to semi-soft cheeses: Cut these cheeses into thin slices, starting at the point of the cheese (Image B).
Wedges of semi-firm to hard cheeses: Cut the wedge in half lengthwise and then cut each slice into portions crosswise (Image C).
Logs: Slice into even cross-sections (Image D).
Blue cheeses: Slice the wedge from the center of the thin edge to equally spaced points along the thick edge (Image E).
Cheeses that come in a box (such as Epoisses): Cut a “lid” in the top of the cheese, and set this piece aside. Then scoop out the contents with a spoon (Image F).

More information and specifics on cheeses can be found at this blog: A French Education. Clickity click!!

Paleo Cabbage Ribbons

Posted on December 29, 2012 by kaprise

Did I tell you my sister and my mother keep a paleo diet? Yeah. I don’t really… I eat cookies and brownies. I don’t eat much pasta or bread, but I am not paleo. I just don’t have the self control, plus the three months I tried it all I did was eat bacon and eggs. You know what happens when you eat bacon and eggs every day? You get fat.

Anyway – my sister brought home these two gorgeous cabbages from her co-op and then promptly flew the coop for the west coast for the holidays. I’ve been staring at the two cabbages thinking “how much coleslaw can someone eat???”

However, I decided I wanted something warm and yummy. It is snowing outside, after all. I read a couple recipes about roasted slices of cabbage, and as I sliced into my pretty cabbage, I realized the slices wouldn’t stay together, let alone roast in a single piece. However, I threw caution to the wind and roasted my pretty slices. I generously sprinkled some salt, pepper, and good olive oil over the slices. I baked at 400F for about 40 minutes. I had two pans. One, I kept as tidy as possible and let the slices roast. And the second? I pulled apart those slices into beautifully toasted ribbons. I tossed a little chopped garlic in at the last minute and baked for another 5 minutes. Glorious.

Paleo Cabbage Ribbons (an inspired recipe)

1 head of green cabbage, washed and the outer leaves removed
4 cloves of minced garlic
salt
pepper
about 1/4 cup of olive oil (plus some as needed)

Preheat the oven to 400F
Slice the cabbage into slices and remove the core in the middle sections
In two rimmed baking sheets, place the slices in the sheets, spaced apart well.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Evenly drizzle olive oil
Bake at 400F for 40 minutes
Break apart the slices into ribbons and toss with minced garlic
Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until caramelized

SONY DSC

Salmon Mousse

Posted on December 12, 2012 by kaprise

This is part of the very late Thanksgiving recipes… but I promise the recipes that I will post over the next few hours/days will be well worth the wait.

One of the appetizers I set out was spinach and artichoke dip… I wrote the recipe on the site a while back. The second was something NEW. I had never made Salmon Mousse before, but when I saw the recipe while flipping through my cookbooks, I knew I had to try it.

I’ve always enjoyed anything salmon, but recently I have been having a bit of a love affair with smoked salmon. Smoked sockeye salmon to be exact. I had 16oz of some beautifully smoked sockeye and whipped up this mousse.

My recipe suggested serving this piped onto cucumber circles with a bit of bread… but I decided to keep to the “dip” theme and left this mousse piled prettily into a dish for dipping purposes.

Anyway…. on to the mousse

Salmon Mousse (adapted very lightly from Williams-Sonoma’s Festive Entertaining)

14 oz smoked salmon (I used sockeye), roughly chopped
1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt (full fat)
1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
1 lemon, juiced and zested

In a food processor – combine all the ingredients. Zest the whole lemon into the processor and 2 tablespoons of the juice. Blend until smooth
Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Simple. Delicious!

Coconut Spiced Macadamia Nuts

Posted on June 24, 2012 by kaprise

Oh hello… I bet you almost forgot that I actually post recipes and fun stuff! But I do have this lovely LOVELY recipe for you… finally!

If you are like me and are barreling through summer studying for an exam (ahem bar and board takers) you understand how stir crazy you get sometimes. After reading through evidence (of all horrible things) for a few hours, I was falling asleep in my chair. In attempt to perk up and distract myself from the fluffy pillows on my bed, I whipped up these roasted nuts, lightly spiced and crunchy sweet. I made them first with almonds, and then with macadamia nuts. I far prefer the macadamia nuts because of the contrast between the creaminess of the nut and the crunch of the coating. However, feel free to make these with any type of nut! The nuts end up just a bit coated in sugar and a bit crusted in coconut. Some of the coconut just caramelizes with the sugar and you get these delicious bites of spiced coconut. So… ON TO THE RECIPE!

The measurements are not exact, but this is what you need:

1/2 cup of flaked, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups of macadamia nuts
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cumin*
A sprinkle of paprika and red peper powder*

Lightly toast the coconut flakes. Stir in the spices and pour into a separate plate.
In the same pan, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the surface and allow it to melt. Once the sugar has melted, you must work quickly so that it does not burn!
Remove the pan from the flame and toss the macadamia nuts to coat in the sugar.
Then quickly sprinkle the coconut mixture evenly over the tops of the glazed nuts and stir rapidly
Quickly remove the mixture to a large, flat plate and cool.
Store after completely cooled

* If you like a spicier nut, feel free to up the quantities of these spices. You could even crumble a little rosemary in here!

The Giant Rhubarb In the Room

Posted on May 8, 2011 by kaprise

I went to the farmer’s market… and as I’m apt to do, I went a little crazy with the buying. I just like farmer’s markets and when I see all of the people and the produce I just want to buy it all.

I found an adorable gentleman who sold me two soft-shell crabs… I cleaned them (eeek!) and ate them with great gusto. I was pleased that I had cleaned them myself… but a little freaked out that they continue to move even as I was hacking into their vital organs and cutting their faces off. It makes me cringe still. ::cringe::

Well, last week I walked past anything that required cooking/baking because I was in study mode. I’m still in study mode, but I decided that this week I was going to just spend a couple hours cooking and enjoying myself before going back to :::i-want-to-kill-someone::: study mode. When I saw these arm length (or if you’re short, like me, 1/2 body length) rhubarb, I had to have them. They were so delightfully pink, I immediately grabbed them.

I did like Connie at ouichefcook and tossed the sliced rhubarb in sugar before letting it drain in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Then, I decided I wanted coffee cake crumbs in a buttermilk based cake. So I fused Lottie + Doof’s favorite cake with some coffee cake crumbs… with a layer of rhubarb in between the cake. So maybe I over-did it a little bit. I ended up with is a 9×13” cake that’s about 2 inches thick. I told you. I’m not good at subtle. Or a little. I like BIG. Bigger = better. DUH… I might have been a Texan in a former life.

The crumbs are just perfectly crunchy and the cake is pillowy. And the layer of rhubarb is just acidic and tart enough to balance the crunchy crumbs. And since I absentmindedly left out the vanilla extract, the cake tastes just like rhubarb. I know some people won’t like it because it’s a bit tart, but this giant corner slice I pried out of the pan before it cooled is just delicious.

Anyway. Here is what I did

Giant Rhubarb Coffee Cake (Kaprise Kitchen interpretation from a little of this and a little of that)

3 cups of flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
12 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup of shaken buttermilk

Rhubarb:

about 1 pound of rhubarb
1/4 cup of granulated sugar

Crumbs:

1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
8 tablespoons of melted butter
1 1/2 cup of flour

About 8 hours before you plan on baking, or the night before (or in the wee morning hours): wash and slice the rhubarb. Toss with 1/4 cup of sugar. Place in a colander over a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
After 8 or so hours have elapsed, shake the excess moisture from the rhubarb and discard the liquid that has drained. Set the rhubarb aside.
On to the batter!!
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar together, adding one egg at a time until creamy and smooth
Whisk in the buttermilk.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and soda (I normally stir 1/2 of the flour with the baking powder and soda into the mixture, and then stir the remaining flour in. Mostly because I don’t have another mixing bowl to combine dry ingredients, and because this works just fine)
The batter should be a little thicker than normal cake batter.
Line a 9X13” baking pan with buttered parchment paper. Butter the sides of the pan as well.
Spread about 2/3 of the batter in the bottom of the pan.
Add the rhubarb in an even layer over the batter
If you prefer a less tart cake, sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the rhubarb layer to counteract the acidity of the fruit. I left this out because I like the bite.
Dollop the remaining batter over the rhubarb. Because the batter is pretty stiff, I drop blobs of the batter over the rhubarb and then lightly tap the pan on the counter to even it out a bit.
In a bowl, combine the crumb ingredients. I make crumbs by squishing the ingredients into a ball and then breaking the ball apart over the cake.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 60 minutes. Mine took about 65 minutes, but I was also peeking in the oven to check on my baked potatoes (because there is nothing like multitasking your oven!)
A tester should come out nearly clean from the center of the cake. Remember that the rhubarb is moist so the cake around the rhubarb will be moist – so be cautious of overbaking since your tester won’t be perfectly clean coming out of the cake. However… make sure the cake is sufficiently baked, otherwise the cake will be dense and gummy. (I know. Not an exact science, but I normally press a finger at the center of the cake, and if it springs back, it’s normally done).

Cheese Straws and Circles

Posted on May 6, 2011 by kaprise

When I was a kid, my summers were filled with books and lots of time running in the sun dappled yard. My mother would us strap us into our trusty red Volvo, and drive us to the library with the windows down. We’d sneakily stick our hands out the window to feel the wind push our hands back. My sisters and I would quiet the minute we go to the library, solemnly picking out our books and propping ourselves on the stacks to read the interesting ones right away. And after the air-conditioning had sufficiently seeped into our bones, we would pile back into the car with our stacks of books. We would spend the rest of the afternoons with our piles of books in the yard reading. I remember sitting on blankets on the deck reading books until the sun set. The soft breeze rippling through the grass and the shade on the deck lulling me into the books.

Well, other than wishing that these huge tomes of law books were nearly so fun to read and that I was still in my backyard plastered to my books like I was as a kid… I remember reading a story that talked about cheese straws. It sounded so glamorous and delicious. The main character was in London, and her friends were visiting and she scraped together these cheese straws with “just a bit of butter, cheese, flour, and water.” I wanted to feel as glamorous in my chic apartment munching on cheese straws… so I obviously tried my hand at it. My mother’s the forgiving sort that let us experiment with all of the kitchen supplies, and would patiently watch while we insisted we knew what we were doing. After mushing together an extraordinarily expensive chunk of cheese with some flour, water, and butter… I baked my little straws. They were actually just awful. I was just a kid, but the cheese straws I imagine in my head were light and crunchy and melted on your tongue. The ones that I had made were heavy blocks of floury cheese.

Needless to say, I never looked at another recipe for cheese straws again. I just wasn’t interested in baking blocks of disappointment. But, then two years ago when I started law school, I was actually living alone in my chic little apartment with my equally chic little puppy. I felt that it was time to try my hand at cheese straws again. I followed the recipe on smittenkitchen, which was delicious, but the dough was just a bit too substantial for me. I wanted little straws that were meltingly lovely and that were equally pretty. So, I tweaked. Just a bit. And discovered that a combination of cheddar and the best Parmesan (that my teensy grocery carries) made all of the difference. A generous sprinkle of crushed red pepper made them just spicy enough, and of course, all food must be pretty… so I used the teensiest fluted cutter I have.

Cheese Circles (Adapted from smittenkitchen, who references Lee Bros. Southern Cooking)

1 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, grated finely
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated finely
4 tablespoons of good butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt
3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, I whizzed mine through a food processor to get smaller flakes
1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream

In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Work the mixture together until the dough is crumbly and well incorporated.
Slowly drip the cream into the bowl, stirring until the dough comes together into a cohesive ball.
On a lightly floured table (or counter) roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch. Cut with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Or whatever size you desire.
Bake at 350 degrees Farhenheit for 10-15 minutes. The circles should be golden and have poufed up a bit.
Note: In one of my runs, I sprinkled a little Parm over the tops of the circles and that was delicious also… but I prefer mine without.

Easy Peasy Zucchini and Feta Squares

Posted on April 30, 2011 by kaprise

This is a tart of sorts… it’s a pie? I don’t know what I should call it, but I needed something to help me procrastinate my little heart out. I’m having the worst time focusing on finals this year. I’m good at waking up, but the only thing getting me out of bed is dehydration this semester. This is the first semester I have been single since starting law school, so I have been getting more work done (no pesky boys clamoring for my time), but I’ve also been distracted. I’m thinking about running and getting back into top running form. I’m thinking about where to jet off too… I just want to be on the move.

This morning, my neighbor invited me to run with her running group. I went along and it was phenomenal. I ran 10 miles with the group, paced at about 9:30/mile. It was wonderful. I was back in my apartment by 9:00am. But, the only thing I have been having problems with is splitting headaches after my long runs. I don’t know if anyone else has this problem… but about an hour after finishing a longer (more than 7 miles) run, I’m sitting with my head in my hands with a horrible headache. So instead of hitting the library as planned, I was zoinked out on my bed sleeping off my headache. Maybe it’s the water. Or maybe, like my neighbor suggested, it’s because I run without water and without any nutrition. I just go. Hmm.

This tart is super easy. Five ingredients, thirty minutes, and delicious. You can use any variation of vegetables. I imagine it’s delicious with some squash, maybe thin eggplant slices? Or even tomatoes. Or potatoes… the possibilities are endless.

Easy Peasy Zucchini and Feta Squares (the result of Kaprise Kitchen procrastination)

1 zucchini, thinly sliced. If you have a mandoline (I do not) this would be supremely easy
1 small onion, thinly sliced
8-10 sheets of phyllo dough (I used 8 out of a package, but feel free to use whatever thickness or variation)
4 oz of feta cheese, crumbled finely
3 tablespoons of butter, melted

Place the phyllo dough on a cookie sheet, brushing the bottom of the first sheet with butter, and brushing alternating layers lightly with butter.
Spread crumbled feta cheese once inch from the sides of the phyllo dough.
Arrange the zucchini and onion slices on top of the feta cheese
Fold the sides of the dough up to cover a little bit of the zucchini and onion.
Brush with butter
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown

Guilty

Posted on April 25, 2011 by kaprise

In law school, I think a lot about guilt. We learn and analyze guilt on so many different levels, and think about proving guilt, disproving guilt, and the nature of guilt. Law school has changed the way I think of people, maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I see things in terms of lawsuits, guilt, and how solid my arguments to nail you to the proverbial wall. I judge things based on the gravity of the information I have in my possession… and I research to further analyze whether my judgment is sound. I judge. I judge a lot.

The other day, someone asked me, “What are your guilty pleasures?” And I thought… how could something that is pleasurable be guilty? Is it wrong? Are you doing something morally questionable? Why does something that make you happy a guilty thing? Because in my mind – pleasure is good. Feeling good is good. So… what is guilty about it? A lot of people talk about food like that… chocolate is their guilty pleasure… or cupcakes. Or ribs. But to me? Food is never guilty or bad or regrettable. I believe in eating all of the wonderful things in the world and enjoying every single bite… and then if you are worried about the calories? You go run it off… I don’t believe in low calorie. I don’t believe in fat-free. I don’t believe in sugar free. I don’t believe in skipping meals. I don’t believe in dieting to lose weight. I believe in loading up on all of the good things in life. Food, exercise, and laughs.

Anyway, a few years back, my sister and I saw some stellar reviews for an arepas bar in NYC. I was working in the Financial District at the time, so my sister collected by father and me from work and we went to the arepas bar. It was delicious. Granted, my dignified father, sister, and I were squished in a little hole in the wall restaurant table nailed against the wall… but the food was delicious. And I was instantly infatuated with the idea of making my own arepas. After doing my research, I bought a bag of masarepa flour and fixings. My family and I ate arepas for months afterward… it was one of those treats we would gather around the table to eat. It was fun. We’d hollow out the pillows of arepas and load them up with cheese, beans, and meat. It was messy, and inevitably the munchkin would stick her head through our arms and try to lick the table. It was so much fun, and so delicious.

So, now that I live alone and in a little apartment, arepas are few and far between. The frying oil permeates my apartment, and I dislike sitting eating what I consider family food by myself. The arepas we ate at the arepas bar were thick, and hollowed out to make room for fillings, but I make mine thin and crisp. It eliminates the hollowing out step, and then I top the arepas with toppings like canapes. I think this would be an amazing appetizer for a dinner party, the crisp little arepas are just phenomenal with melted cheese and beans. I think any topping would be phenomenal. Maybe some pulled pork, or chicken to make them heartier.

Arepas (Kaprise Kitchen Style)

1 cup of masarepa flour (this is different than masa harina!)
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of black beans
1/2 cup of salsa (or homemade pico de gallo)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (any kind! I used a pre-shredded mix from the grocery)
hot sauce (Tabasco, Cholula, whatever floats your boat)
1/2 -1 cup of canola oil

In a bowl, stir together masarepa and water until the water is absorbed. Cover the mixture for 10 minutes
After the dough has rested a bit, wet your hands and form the dough into 2 tablespoon patties. Flatten them to about 1/4 inch thick. I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons per circle to make smaller and cuter arepas.
Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a skillet
Fry the arepas in the oil until golden, about 4 minutes per side.
Allow the arepas to drain on paper towels, continue to fry the remaining arepas.
Arrange the arepas on a cookie sheet
Top with black beans and cheese
Broil (on high) arepas until the cheese has melted
Top with salsa and serve.
The arepas keep well in the refrigerator (without salsa) for up to 3 days. You can simply reheat in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Kaprise!

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