Huminta: A Bolivian Delight

I’ve never been to Bolivia, but I’ve been many times to the Copacabana Café in the Pike Place Market. A South American beer tastes fine there on one of those perfect Seattle afternoons, when mountains come out to stand boldly against a wondrously blue sky. Okay, they’re not the Andes. But perched there on the Copacabana’s deck, with the sun streaming down and a view over the great colorful pageantry of the market, I’m the happiest man in the whole wide world!

Buskers at Copacabana's Post Alley doorway

The Salad Queen and I went for lunch at the Copacabana on our wedding day many summers ago, back when the market was not so well known and was, well, kind of hippy dippy. We sat out in the sun, with beer and Huminta, and forgot for the moment the cake, the minister, the family. We donned cheap sunglasses and let out exaggerated sighs. We clutched each other’s hands and squeezed. On a rooftop across the way, a one-armed man watered flowers.      

Over the years, while the market has become world famous, the Copacabana has changed hardly at all. Starbucks may be global, but there is still only one Bolivian restaurant in Seattle. In the same time that Sur la Table has branched out into all the best shopping districts and the guys who chuck the fish have gone viral, the restaurant has retained its humble feel, with plastic tables on its skinny deck, basic Bolivian offerings, sliced baguettes in paper-napkined baskets and a down-to-earth wait staff. If cruise ship passengers have overtaken the hippies on the street below, nobody seems to notice.

When we go, we stay away from the meatier entrees on the menu and gravitate to the soups and salads on the page with the a la carta offerings. I’m a fan of the Sopa de Camerones, a spicy soup laden with tiny shrimp. The Salad Queen (go figure!) likes the Ensalada Copacabana with avocadoes and shredded radish, but has also been known to sample the black bean salad and the humps of potato with peanut sauce, or Papas a la Huancaina. It’s all very fresh and healthy.

Our downfall is always Huminta, described on the menu as corn pie topped with cheese, which we order every time. It’s just that good. Think: corn bread meets soufflé, with a lovely cheesy topping.  Here’s my take on it.

Huminta: A Bolivian Treat

Makes 6 servings

½ cup yellow corn meal

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 – 15 ounce can whole kernel sweet corn

½ cup milk

¼ cup canola oil

2 eggs

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

½ teaspoon mild chili powder

An 8×8 square glass baking pan, buttered  

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Dry mix the corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
   

   Dry mix with corn folded in

2. In a food processor, pulse the kernels of corn with 3 Tablespoons of the packing liquid for 15 seconds. Fold into the dry mixture.
3. Stir in the milk and oil until just moistened.
4. Whisk two eggs until frothy and add them to the batter, stirring until incorporated but not beating. As with biscuits, the batter should be slightly lumpy to create a crumby texture.
5. Pour batter into buttered 8×8 glass baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, top with sliced cheese, sprinkle on chili powder and return to the oven to bake a further 10 minutes until cheese is lightly browned.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice into 6 pieces and serve hot.

Huminta goes extremely well with a fresh green salad, preferably one with avocado. Oh, and some South American beer would be great, too, if you have some. And if you happen to be down at the Pike Place Market in Seattle on a sunny day, you can sample the original. Just be sure to bring sunglasses!

The deck at the Copacabana. Tables available!