Name: Fried Masa Cakes with Cheese (Arepas de Queso)
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 12 arepas
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups milk; 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1 1/2 cups white arepa flour (precooked cornmeal); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 cup grated mozzarella; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Image may contain Food Bread and Pancake

Fried Masa Cakes with Cheese (Arepas de Queso)Rita Maas

In her cookbook Fiesta!, Anya von Bremzen included a recipe by the Jackson Heights (Queens, New York) "arepa lady," known simply as Piedad. Though arepas are a common South American breakfast item (as well as a lunch and dinner starch), what makes hers so special is the luxurious inclusion of butter in the dough and the use of milk instead of water.

We've adapted the recipe slightly.

Recipe notes

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

Baked Butter Paneer

I should address the awkward truth that I don’t use butter here but cream instead. You could, if you’re a stickler for tradition (and not a heretic like me), add a big slab of butter to the finished curry.