Arepas – Cuban Corn "Pancake" Sandwiches

Having an abundance of masa harina and having loved our last attempt at arepas, we figured tonight we would try another recipe for them, and return to the city of my childhood at the same time.  Small problem.  The first arepa recipe used the instant corn flour, and I assumed that arepa flour was that instant flour.  It couldn't have been.  We needed to add much more to get a workable dough; it was so wet it couldn't be cut or hold shape.  I also had forgotten how sweet they were; that is something I am generally not a fan of. Our "operator errors" aside, it wasn't too bad.  I did make a slaw like the last arepa recipe and sprinkled some crumbled feta cheese over the top.  It was great.  In retrospect, the original arepa recipe was Mexican and this arepa recipe is a Cuban one. They aren't the same.  We kind of took a Cuban arepa and dressed it in a serape. It was good but I think in order to make this properly we would need to use different corn flour next time. Arepas are a great way to use leftovers.  Anything can go inside (or between in the Cuban's case) the arepas and make use the remnants of meals gone by in the fridge:)

Arepas – Cuban Corn "Pancake" Sandwiches

1 c  milk
5 T  butter
1 c  ground frozen corn kernels
1 c  arepa flour or finely ground yellow corn meal.
1/4 t  salt
1/3 c  sugar
1 c  mozzarella cheese
1/2 c  water(approximately)
6    -8 slices Mild Swiss cheese sliced
The famous corn pancake sandwich served at fairs and exhibits in
Miami two cornmeal "cakes" with a layer of gooey cheese inside.
Bring the milk to a boil in a small pan.
Add the five tablespoons of butter. Let stand.
Grind one cup frozen yellow corn kernels in a food processor. In a
large bowl, mix the arepa flour, salt, sugar, ground corn, and
mozzarella. Make a well in the center and gradually add the hot milk.
Stir until there are no lumps.
Work the dough until it is smooth and sticky. Add water as necessary if
the dough is too thick. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough between
two sheets of wax paper to about 1/4" thickness.
Cut out arepas with a large cookie cutter-- about 3 inches in diameter.
(We've had good luck using a small straight edged bowl.)
Heat a lightly buttered griddle on medium. Cook the arepas in batches
until crispy and golden brown on each side. Immediately place a slice
of cheese on one arepa and cover with another to make a sandwich.
Heat on griddle until cheese melts. You can also make the pancakes only
and store them in the refrigerator or frozen until ready to serve. Just
lightly butter two pancakes, put a slice of cheese in between (on the
unbuttered sides) and heat on the griddle at low-heat until the cheese
melts