I have fond food memories of arepas, which I grew up eating at festivals and street fairs in South Florida. I realize that some of you weren’t so lucky and may not even know what an arepa is. Typically, it’s a small cornmeal cake, thicker than a tortilla, which is stuffed with fillings. It can be served sandwich-style as a snack or eaten as a meal. My understanding is that arepas are a Venezuelan dish which are also popular in other Latin American countries. The arepas of my childhood were sweet and dense. Sometimes the dough itself was studded with corn kernels, and they were filled with a melted, salty white cheese similar to mozzarella. However, I’ve learned since then that there are many ways to prepare arepas; they are often filled with shredded meat and topped with an avocado sauce called guasacaca, which has a taste profile similar to guacamole. I ate them this way in Puerto Rico 8 years ago and thought I’d found my own foodie heaven.
For many years it never occurred to me to make arepas, though I often dreamed of them – my area of NC has some great Mexican food but it’s not yet a mecca for South American cuisine. However, after seeing recipes for them in food magazines and blogs, I decided to try my hand at making my own arepas. I found them to be much easier than I had imagined. The hardest part is finding the right corn flour for the dough. Locally, I found Harina PAN, which is reputed to be the best brand of arepa flour, at Compare Foods, a traditional grocery store that also stocks a wide range of Latin American foods. The process for the arepa dough itself couldn’t be easier; you stir the flour together with some water or milk and a touch of salt (there’s a recipe on the back of the bag, or use the one below) and let it sit to absorb the liquid. Then you pat the dough into rounds and cook them in a hot skillet until they are crispy on the outside. The arepas can be sliced down the middle to make a pocket and stuffed, or you can make your arepas fairly thin and top them with your fillings.
The first time I cooked these, we had them with ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, queso fresco, avocado, and guasacaca. The second time, I used a chuck roast and the recipe below to make shredded beef, which I think is easier to eat inside these pockets. The guasacaca is totally flexible; throw in more or less garlic if you like, or add more jalapeno for more heat, more vinegar for more tang. I’ve included recipes for arepas, shredded beef barbacoa, and guasacaca below, but if you make these yourself, be sure to experiment a bit with the fillings until you find a combination you like.
Printable version of Arepas with Beef Barbacoa
Arepas
Serves 4-6
2 ½ cups water or milk, lukewarm
2 cups harina pan (white arepa flour)
1 tsp. kosher salt
vegetable oil or Pam spray
Combine water or milk, harina pan, and salt in large bowl. Stir until well-combined and let sit at least 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Roll dough into balls and pat flat into discs that are about ½- inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray or cover surface with just enough vegetable oil to coat. Add arepas to pan and cook each side until golden brown, about 12 minutes total. Place the finished arepas on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Split each arepa in half lengthwise and fill with barbacoa, cheese, guasacaca, and any other fillings of your choice.
Beef Barbacoa
Serves 10
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 – 2 ½ lb chuck roast, trimmed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup beef broth
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; rub mixture evenly over all sides of roast. Pour olive oil into bottom of large, oven-safe Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Add beef to pan and sear on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total. Add garlic and broth to pan. Cover and bake in oven for about 3 hours, or until very tender. Cool to room temperature and shred beef. Can be covered and kept in fridge overnight or used right away. (If your beef is grass-fed it should not produce much fat and can be used immediately. If not, you may wish to chill the beef and skim the fat off the top.)
Return beef to a skillet or pan; bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer 3 minutes, or until liquid is evaporated. Stir in lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes, or until beef begins to brown in spots. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Cooking Light
Guasacaca
Makes about 1 ½ cups
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
½ small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ jalapeno, diced
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
handful cilantro, cleaned and removed from stems
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, then add olive oil in a steady stream until mixture has your desired texture. Add less olive oil for a thicker sauce and more oil for a thinner sauce. Can keep in fridge for several days.
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