Las Arepas Venezolanas

Once upon a time an American redhead went to a birthday pool party and met a tall, dark and handsome Venezuelan man. Growing up in the northeastern United States the redhead had never met anyone from beautiful Venezuela before. She was intrigued. The Venezolano took one look at la pelirroja (the redhead) and decided he must make her his mujer…. And so their love story began filled with lots of besos, laughes and arepas every Sunday!

Over the last year, I began a love affair with the Venezuelan food staple know as “la arepa”. What is an arepa? An arepa is pre-cooked corn flour made into a round bread.  They are usually stuffed with savory ingredients. This is the daily bread in Venezuela. The ingredients are very simple: Harina P.A.N, water and a dash of salt. Like all cultures, many will debate on the technique and ingredients. Milk instead of water, an arepa maker instead of fried… There is even a whole movement of mixing ingredients into the dough. A very popular Instagram page I follow is Arepas_Fit. If you become an arepa junkie like me this page will blow your mind! I was even featured once! A very proud moment, especially for a gringa! I’m going to present you with the basic recipe. Keep in mind it’s all about the fillings!

Ingredients:

Harina P.A.N – The holy grail. Once someone told me they didn’t make arepas with Harina P.A.N and I experienced an involentary gasp. I’m not a Venezolana by heritage, but I sure feel it sometimes! ESSSOOOO! It’s like if you’re going to do it. Do it right. Harina P.A.N is sold at my local market. If it is not at yours, try a latin food market or you can always buy it online: Amazon has it!

Water- Mi novio ( my boyfriend ) always uses warm water. I don’t question my arepa master.

Salt- 1 tsp

Vegetable Oil for frying

I have an arepa maker (of course). During the week I use my arepa maker. It cuts back on the fat and it saves time. Here is the one I bought: Arepa Maker

On the weekends Juan makes the arepas. First he makes the dough and forms it into small balls. He then presses them into flat, perfectly round patties. I love watching him do this. He has his own special technique! He then browns them in a little bit of oil in the pan and once they cook on each side he transfers them to the oven for further cooking. He bakes them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. We like to eat them with a crunch on the outside. Some like them softer. I have had them both ways. I prefer the crunch!

THE FILLING!

Let’s just say the arepa is to Mini Driver and the filling is to Matt Damon in the movie “Good Will Hunting”. The arepa is that excellent supporting actor. The filling is the star. As I mentioned earlier arepas are usually filled with savoy ingredients: shredded meats, cheeses, avocado, veggies etc. Juan and I usually eat arepas for breakfast. We fill them with “perico”.  Perico is the Spanish word for parakeet. These are Venezuelan style scrambled eggs with tomato and onions.

Arepa con perico

Another favorite of mine is the “renia pepiada”. This is shredded white meat chicken mixed with avocado, onions, garlic, cilantro and mayo. It’s rich! Everything in moderation! 😉

Arepa renia pepiada ( mi favorita! )

Here is a great post I found by Adriana Lopez on some of the popular filling combinations:

http://picapica.com/blog/2011/05/the-arepa-what-is-it-and-why-you-want-one/
You can fill them with whatever your heart desires! Atleast that is what this little Americana pelirroja does! I appreciate the history and true meaning of the arepa. It is always interesting to experience  foods that bring a culture together. Foods that are still a staple in a culture’s diet for centuries! 

Hope you enjoy this little taste of Venezula! 

-Lauren/Lorena 😉