Pupusas!

We sell these at work. After seeing a sign in a restaurant window in Amherst advertising pupusas on weekdays (and then forgetting to go buy them) they've been in the back of my mind lately. My sisters, too, apparently. Like I said, my family talks a lot about food. Dana and I email about 10 times a day at least. And oh gosh, her pupusas look FANTASTIC. So, I sent Alex out on a quest (after a long day of work, and then school, poor guy) to buy Maseca, the corn-lime flour that is used for things like tamales and tortillas (AND it even says gluten-free on the label! We all like things that are labeled!). Pupusas are (usually) delicious. They are like quesadillas to hold in your hand, and are best served with salsa and guacamole and sometimes with a coleslaw called curdito. The ones we sell at work are bland, made by the commissary (which is a mysterious huge warehouse kitchen in Baltimore, I think) and shipped to us in boxes. A couple that comes into Wholefoods fairly often (and who are gluten-free, I learned) buy as many as they can and freeze them, and later use them to make little pizzas out of. That sounds
sort of delicious to me. These look fairly labor intensive, but believe me they're fairly easy.

Pupusas

1 1/2 c masa harina (look for it in Mexican corner stores, or at some big grocery stores)
1 c plus maybe some more warm water
1/4 t salt
1 c grated cheese (I used cheddar and parmasan, becuase that's what I have)
1 jalapeno, minced (or more)
*You can also put refried beans, meat, and other things inside.


Mix the cheese and jalapeno. Put the masa harina flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in 1/2 c of the water, mix in, and keep adding water and mixing (it's best to use your hands) until when you form a ball of dough and flatten it, it doesn't crack on the edges. Only add water a little at a time. Once the dough feels right, moisten a paper towel. Take a ball of dough a little smaller than your palm, and flatten it out so its a little thinner than a half an inch thick. Put a big pinch of cheese mixture in the middle, and then start to work the sides up around it. Pinch them like you're making a little pot, then keep working the dough up and over into the middle until the cheese is covered. Form the dough back into a neat ball, and flatten until its about a half an inch thick, maybe a little thinner.
You can make them smaller if you want. Keep the rest of the dough covered with a moist paper towel while you do this. Put the formed pupusas on a plate, and repeat with the rest of the dough. This should make about 8-10 pupusas. Heat a cast iron pan (I guess you can use a regular skillet, or a griddle if you have one!) and wipe the bottom with an oiled paper towel so there is a light, light coating of oil on the pan. Heat over medium low. Once the pan is hot, put in 3 or 4 pupusas, and let cook about 5 minutes per side, taking care not to burn them. They should have a few brown spots when they're flipped. Repeat with the rest of the pupusas, and eat while hot. You can also wrap them up in plastic and keep in the fridge, reheat in the toaster. Or freeze them. Delicious!