This week we had Corina pick the recipe and she went old school. If we have one thing in common is that we are all Venezuelan and love our Arepas. What made it interesting though is what we all do with it. Arepas are so diverse, you can have them from breakfast, lunch or dinner. I think that we are born with the recipe registered in our head but in keeping with the theme, Corina found a recipe from Savoir Faire that was the easiest and simplest to follow.
Ana
Andrea
Bere
Cori
Juli
Click on any of the pictures for more details
Original recipe:
Have you done this before? Yes
Tools for the recipe: food processor, frying pan
Ingredient substitute: 1 1/2 spinach puree, 1 cup of water
Experience doing the recipe: As Venezuelan, the real challenge here is how to come up with a variation that is not your daily staple. So, I had some extra spinach around and decided to make spinach arepas. I
took 1 tbs of olive oil and placed 3 cups dried spinach in a pan. Once they were fully cooked, I took the spinach and put it in my food processor. I converted this mix in a liquid, lumpy paste. Then I measured only 1 cup of Harina P.A.N. mix, the spinach, and 1 cup of water. The dough was a bit runny but that is normal. I decided to let it sit for about 5 min and then proceeded to form the arepas. My family is from the southwest part of Venezuela and our arepas are thinner and bigger than the standard arepa. I pounded the dough on the counter on top of parchment paper until I formed a circle about ½ inch thick and 6 inches in diameter. Then I cooked it on the stove on a small frying pan, 2 min each side. I stuffed it with deli turkey and baby swiss cheese. So delicious and nutritious. You can definitively taste the spinach and cover your veggie intake for the day!!!
Would you try doing the recipe again? Yes, I am even thinking of venturing with a different vegetable
Have you done this before? So many times I couldn’t even count it
Tools for the recipe: bowl, water, salt, corn mix and a large pan
Ingredient substitute: none
Experience doing the recipe: I love making Arepas it’s my favorite meal since I was little. It’s always the question of do you put the water first or the mix? And I put the mix first and then add the water. To make a bit more yummy I add a bit of parm cheese and milk instead of salt. This time I tried something different I made them smaller and with a knife I made 3 small cuts on top of the ready to bake arepa for decoration. I chose avocado and goat cheese for filling #AvocadoRepa
Would you try doing the recipe again? I will forever make these and change it up by adding flax seed or making the out of vegetables or Yuca ♥️
Have you done this before? Not this particular recipe but I make arepas every week! They are a staple in our home
Tools for the recipe: Bowl, hands and griddle
Ingredient substitute: No substitute but arepas are so versatile that you can add pretty much anything to the dough mix before for forming them. You can replace the water for any veggie puree. You can add oatmeal (May need more water), chia seeds, shredded or grated cheese, seasoning for extra goodness or an egg for some protein
Experience doing the recipe: Simple to follow and easy recipe, as mentioned this is the basic recipe to make arepas. I did this recipe but I also did an additional arepa dough with beet puree! When I cook them I cook for a bit longer because we like them crispy. We love to get creative with arepas and they are pretty much like a sandwich fill them up with water you want! Some of the fillings for arepas are avocado chicken salad, black beans with cheese, shredded beef and cheese, scrambled eggs or simply ham and cheese. For these are we choose grilled chicken, tomato, spinach and cheese. They were delicious!
Would you try doing the recipe again? Yes, we do them every week!!
Have you done this before? Yes, definitely a go to recipe
Tools for the recipe: bowl, hands, arepa maker
Ingredient substitute: none, it’s so easy to make, its more likely you will add to it rather than substitute.
Experience doing the recipe: This was just like writing a bike, once you learn it, you will always be able to do it. When I moved to California I didn’t take anything with me except a suite case with clothe and my Arepa maker. It is like a family heirloom, a little old, a little dirty, a little broken but it sure makes the best Arepas (according to me) in the world.
I started out by putting the cornmeal in a bowl. I didn’t measure it, once you have made as many Arepas as I have made in my lifetime, you just know how much is enough. I added a little bit of salt and a little bit of olive oil. Then, I made sure the tap water was running warm temperature and started pouring and mixing until the consistency of the dough felt right (maybe a little runny). Let the mix rest while I took my Arepa maker out, made a couple of little balls with the mix and put it in the maker. It’s supposed to have a light that will go off when they are ready but that broke so I leave them in there until they are nice and crispy and golden brown.
After they are done, you take them out and while burning your hand, because you need to just open them right away…it’s tradition….I cut it in half and scooped the dough inside onto my plate. I put some butter and cheese on the dough and proceeded to stuff my Arepa with some mayo, greens, turkey, cheese and tomatoes. Delicious!
Would you try doing the recipe again? Oh for sure!! I can’t imagine my life without :)
Have you done this before? Countless times
Tools for the recipe: Bowl and my hands
Ingredient substitute: None
Experience doing the recipe: I make arepas weekly, sometimes twice a week. I even made arepas knowing we had this recipe and forgot to take pictures, it’s something that is part of my life.
I love that I can have them for any time of the day: breakfast, lunch or dinner AND I can stuff them with any leftover that I have in my fridge or pantry. This occasion I had the arepas made and “sealed” which is basically after made, just run them through a flat grill to get the burnt marks. At this point I can freeze them to make them another day or just set them aside to put them in the oven later.
They always go to the oven at 400 for 20-30min depends on how crispy you want the crust. I love to make my food look good, but this arepa is the perfect description of #uglydelicious, might look not to tasty but I can guarantee you it looks good: some leftover meatless ground beef with cheese and avocado.
Also, you might notice that I eat my arepas “open-faced”, since I’ve been young I do that, and its like being able to have fun wit your toppings in one meal.
Would you try doing the recipe again? I actually help made some with some friends the next day, and probably about to make some right now
