In a mixing bowl, add cornmeal, salt, pepper, baking powder. Mix well.
Add the cheese at this time if you're going to use it and mix well.
With a spoon, stir ingredients while adding about a 1/2 cup of boiling water at a time ( 2 1/2 cups maximum) to control how much liquid you introduce into the mix. Some brands of cornmeal need more or less liquid than others. You be the judge. You only want the dough to be moist but not like cake batter.
Knead dough with your hands only enough to form a ball which should be a little bigger than a golf ball in size.
Flatten balls and shape like those in the picture and fry in a lightly greased pan until golden which takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Use a tablespoon of butter or oil. You can also use a nonstick pan to reduce calories.
Personally, I like to bake them at 350 for twenty minutes.
Let cool for a minute or so and serve.
Enjoy!