instant corn masa mix

[dfrostnh]

I have some poblanos that I need to use up and a recipe for ham and poblano corn pudding that looks good. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup instant corn masa mix (Maseca). While on a road trip yesterday I bought masarepa thinking it was the product needed. Are these two products interchangeable? It looks like all I need is something to thicken the pudding. The Masarepa looks like fine ground cornmeal.

Or can I use American corn meal that I already have in my cupboard?

Thanks for your help. I'd really like to make this recipe this week while the poblanos are still in good shape. I grew them in the garden, just one plant, but I'm not really familiar with them. I was looking for a mildly hot pepper for our NH palates.

[paulj]

As noted, corn meal, Maseca, and masarepa, are not interchangeable. One is just plain ground corn, the 2nd is the treated corn used for tortillas (or tamales) that is dried, and the 3rd a cooked corn flour used for arepas.

Your ham and poblano corn pudding sounds like an invented recipe, not a traditional Mexican one. The use of corn masa suggests that they are aiming for a tamale like quality.

One option is to find an American corn pudding or spoon bread recipe, and add the ham and poblanos to that. It is safer to match the corn product and the recipe. Regardless of what you use, the ham and peppers are an addon, not an essential ingredient (sort of like the nuts and raisins in a banana bread).

As to using your poblanos, I'd suggest roasting them to blister the skin, and rub that off. Then cut them open and remove seeds and stem. Now you can taste a bit, to see just how hot each one is.

At this point you can use them in a number of ways. A pudding like this sounds good. 'Rajas' is a popular Mexican use (poblano strips in cream).

[bushwickgirl]

"are not interchangeable"

True, cornmeal is uncooked, and the other meals have a different flavor. For the small amount of masa in the recipe, I think the OP could use masarepa without much difference in the flavor of the pudding. Just wanted to make the point clear that cooking with either would have the same thickening effect in the recipe .

The recipe also calls for roasting the chilies. With the addition of butter, sour cream and eggs, the texture will be more pudding like, but not souffle like, than a tamale.

The popularity of poblanos, with a Rajas recipe:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7264...

[paulj]

What was it, half a cup of masa harina? I wonder what else was in the pudding recipe? I was thinking more about the texture and baking qualify, than the flavor.

If this is the recipe
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Serrano-Ham-and-Poblano-Corn-Pudding-233408
fresh corn, eggs and sour cream are the dominant ingredients. I bet while flour could be substituted for the masa harina without much change in the final product. One commenter substituted corn muffin mix (Jiffy is half flour, and half fine corn meal).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
A spoon bread using fresh corn and cornmeal calls for first cooking the cornmeal into a corn mush (polenta). That handles the coarser grain of corn meal.

I've made arepas a few times, but don't know how masarepa would work in a pudding recipe.

[bushwickgirl]

"how masarepa would work in a pudding recipe."

Nor do I for sure, but I guess the OP is about to find out.;-)

You could certainly add poblanos, ham and cheese to your spoon bread link. Maybe if the OP doesn't feel like experimenting too much, he/she could try the spoon bread and save the masarepa for it's intended purpose.

[dcrf]

I have instant masa harina.I use it in my corn bread recipie in place of the flour.I use half conmeal half instant masa harina .Makes great cornbread and will be the base of my dressing for thanksgiving .

[dfrostnh]

I haven't chickened out but will use up some of the poblanos this week with this recipe for crockpot chicken, corn and poblanos. I forgot to buy ham.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

I might have a chance to find maseca this weekend. If not, I'll use the masarepa in the original recipe. I picked up an interesting B&H Appetizer magazine this week and last night found a recipe for arepas. Masa repa is used and shredded Manchego cheese is included in the corn cake mix. The filling is chicken, avocado, may, green onions, and hot pepper sauce. Sounds yummy. Maybe not authentic but I think everyone would like.
And, the recipe will use up 2 cups of the masa repa!

I can't use any interesting side dishes for Thanksgiving since on NH relative has been leery of all my cooking since one incident with hot pepper jelly and still hasn't forgiven us for talking her into going to a Thai restaurant with us. NH is a beautiful state with some great resources but still a lot of people who prefer plain cooking. BTW Concord NH now has a dim sum restaurant!

[bushwickgirl]

"Concord NH now has a dim sum restaurant!"

Wow, things have changed up there!

Thanks for that slow cooker link, I'll try it with thighs. How much masarepa did you buy?

[dfrostnh]

The bag is small, maybe 1 pound or less.
This morning is put chicken thighs, corn, chopped poblanos in the crock pot and put manchego cheese and ham on the shopping list. It appears my poblanos are very mild and not very fleshy. I'll get the cheese and ham so I can make the corn pudding some other day.
Meanwhile, glad I have the masarepa to make the Appetizer magazine recipe. Should have turkey leftovers to make the filling. Might not be authentic but contains avocado so it should be tasty.
Thanks again for your help.

[bushwickgirl]

"not very fleshy" True of poblanos, as compared to, say, bell peppers.

Hope it turns out really good, and happy holiday to you.

[bushwickgirl]

Nah, not really but, mm, only because the flavor will be different, but not by yards. Masarepa is not limed and won't have the traditional Mexican corn tortilla flavor. Masarepa is for making arepas, a specialty in Colombia and Venezuela, and has a cooked corn flavor, unlike masa. You can certainly use American cornmeal, as long as it's finely ground and is cooked long enough, as masa is precooked and cornmeal is not. The pudding gets baked, correct? I'd just go ahead and use the masarepa. For 1/2 cup, it's there to thicken the pudding and is not going to influence the flavor all that much.

So now you get to make arepas, which are easy and great. Here's a basic Colombian version:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Would you mind passing along your ham and poblano pudding recipe, if possible? I just found a incredible source for poblanos in my nab. TIA.

[mattstolz]

mmmm arepas!!

a lucky mistake if i do say so myself, dfrost! arepas are awesome

[bushwickgirl]

Truly lucky, not so easy to find in Northern NE, if that's where the OP got it.

I didn't address the poblano question, so now I will. Poblanos tend to vary in heat from one to the next, so the first one is fine and the second may be quite hot. Also, if you grew other types of chilies in close quarters with the poblanos, they may have cross pollinated. The thing to do is to taste a little bit of the pepper first, before commiting to the pudding.

[dfrostnh]

Thank you bushwickgirl. You certainly deserve a reward. Here's the recipe but I wasn't going to use ham. It's an Epicurious recipe, too. The four forks are usually trustworthy.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

I bought some poblanos once at Saigon Asian market in Manchester NH. The cashier told me they were hot but I thought they were very mild. Thanks for the warning. I will taste to see how hot they are. This plant grew in my herb garden near some sweet bell peppers.

I found the masarepa in the same market. Stock is not always consistent but I'm only able to visit the store occasionally. Although mostly Chinese and Vietnamese products, there are aisles for other ethnic groups. I have no idea what some of the fresh produce is, esp the roots and tubers. I never see some things like fresh tumeric and galangal but am able to find galangal at small oriental markets in NH.

Manchester NH has other ethnic markets I haven't visited. I think I need to do a field trip.

[bushwickgirl]

Thanks for the link, I saved it to my epi recipe box. Not sure if I can get Manchego locally, but I can sub something.

As I said, poblanos are all over the place, heat-wise. Yours may be milder, if they grew up next to bell peppers.

Interesting that you found masarepa at an Asian market. You should store it in the freezer. Please make some arepas, they're easy and quite good. Google for other recipes, if the epicurious recipe doesn't suit you.

I haven't been to NH in years, beautiful state, like the Peterborough area, matter of fact, the entire state is great.

Enjoy your pudding. It could be a nice side dish for Thanksgiving.