Here is a recipe from Alejandra Ramos, a chef, the creator of the "Always Order Dessert" blog and author of The Puerto Rican Christmas Table ecookbook. She shares one of the great side dishes we're featuring this week to get your ready for Thanksgiving, Latino style.
These "sorullitos de maíz" or crunchy corn fritters were one of our favorites growing up. My maternal grandmother used to make them for us, sometimes adding grated cheese for a more savory twist, and other times increasing the sugar to make them a bit more dessert-like. My brother was a fan of the cheesy ones, while I (unsurprisingly) preferred them sweet. In this recipe, I combined both elements for a sweet and salty treat that can be enjoyed with any part of the meal. This recipe serves 8!
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup finely grated cheddar or edam cheese(optional)
- Peanut oil, for frying
Preparation
Combine water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
Lower heat to medium, and slowly add the cornmeal with one hand while whisking continuously with the other. Continue to whisk until it pulls away from the sides. Remove from heat. Add the grated cheese, if using, and stir until evenly and completely combined. Cover and let dough cool 20 minutes.
Pinch off ¼ cup portions of dough and roll into tubes (you want something about the size and shape of a mozzarella stick). Grease your hand with a little bit of oil to keep them from sticking. Repeat with rest of dough.
Heat 4” of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until it hits 350 degrees. Fry the corn sticks a few at a time, turning occasionally until golden and crisp (about 4 minutes). Remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined pan to drain, and repeat with rest of dough. Serve immediately!
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