Cheese Pupusa and Coleslaw Recipe

It's National Grilled Cheese Month, and while I've made my fair share with two slices of bread, I wanted to celebrate with a traditional Salvadoran dish, the pupusa . Essentially a pancake-like corn cake, pupusas are stuffed with a thin layer of cheese, beans, or pork. I was a little nervous, but preparing the masa is easy — you just add water and stir. Combine vinegar, sugar, oregano, chiles, carrots, onions, and cabbage in a bowl. Season with salt; toss; let chill. Let the mixture sit overnight.

Put masa harina and 1 3⁄4 cups water into a bowl; stir to form a dough. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes and up to 12 hours (if you want to make it ahead of time).

Rub one teaspoon of the canola oil into your hands, so the dough doesn't stick. Using a scale to measure, pinch off 3 ounces of dough and roll it into a ball. Pat dough into a thin disk. Squeeze 3/4 ounce of cheese into a flattened disk. Press cheese into center of dough; cupping dough, stretch edges of dough up around cheese to seal the cheese inside. Pat dough to form a 3 1⁄2 inch-wide disk. Repeat to make 6-8 pupusas in all.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook pupusas, turning, until golden, 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve hot with slaw and sour cream or Mexican Cream.