I know, it’s a mouthful and these hamentaschen are not the least bit traditional – but if you know anything about me, you’ll know that I am anything but. I come from a Latin Jewish family – my mom’s side from Colombia and my father’s side from Argentina.
Hamentaschen are traditional triangle shaped cookies eaten for the holiday of Purim – which commemorates the saving of the Jews from Haman in the Book of Esther. Read more about it from Tori Avey
There may be some debate on what kind of triangles hamentaschen need to be – but I’m good with these! You will be too, once you taste them!
Arepa is a traditional Latin American griddle cake that is a great canvas for most anything! It truly takes the flavor of what you add to it. You can stuff it, top it, dip it, etc. I thought to mix this corn based “cake” with cheese and lots of fresh dill that I had on hand. Cheese + dill are a wonderful combination together, and this makes for a cheesy, herby, crunchy way to enjoy breakfast on Purim! Or any time really! 😀
Feel free to use the white corn masarepa meal or switch up the cheese you like!
Ingredients
- 2 cups masarepa (pre cooked cornmeal flour) - I used the yellow GOYA brand
- 3.5 cups warm water
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 10 cracks of fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup dill, chopped
- 1-2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 Tablespoons, butter
- 2 Tablespoons, olive oil
Instructions
- Mix the masarepa and water to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add in salt and pepper, cheese and dill until evenly distributed.
- Form all your arepa dough into triangles by first flattening a piece in your hand, and then on a stable surface, use your index fingers to create straight edges. The dough should be pretty pliable to do this. If you need to loosen it up, add some water. You could also use a triangle cookie cutter! (I didn't have one) You want to make sure your arepa is not thicker than 1/2 inch high, so that it cooks evenly on both sides.
- When all your arepa hamentaschen are shaped into triangles roughly the same size, heat up some olive oil and butter in a saute pan (or griddle) over medium heat- ensuring the botton is coated.
- After the butter bubbles a bit, add as many triangles as you can fit - while still having about an inch of space between the others. Cook until really deep golden on one side - (be patient! It's worth it.) Approximately 5-6 minutes. Do the same on the next side, and blot on paper towels when they are all complete.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!