{UAH} Arepa

If anyone of you Baboons ever visit my crib you will know this Baboon is an extremely excellent cook. I like creating my own recipes out of nothing but with special attention to TASTES.

So, Alfredo, a Venezuelan handyman who turned to be one of my bestest friends invited me to his crib when I fed him good'old EA Chapati. He told me he could make Chapati from any kind of flour so I went.

Once he took over the kitchen after his wife was done making stew and whatever, the table was laid but with the stew and other condiments but no starch.

I was invited to the table and comfortably sat but with questioning eyes looking for what to eat the stew et al with. Everything on the table smelt awesome but I still expected the Venezuela version of Chapati.

Within minutes warm flat bread started to churn out of the kitchen like from a robotic process on a conveyor belt. Just five for each of us first to say a prayer and welcome the visitor - Me - to their crib and table.

As always, I first observed how to mess up the Chapati life from my hosts. They dealt with them in several ways. On attacking mine I noticed the thingi a bit harder than the EA Chapati but with more mouth-watering aroma than the flat-in-taste EA Chapati.

The giggling kids hurried me to do justice to the for one specific reason. It wont do me good if I took time eating the thingi bcos it would rapidly turn into a hard flying saucer.

That Venezuela chapatti is called the Arepa and is made not from wheat but corn/maize floor. It isn't delayed either and neither made to last a minutes once kneaded. It goes straight to the frying pan and within seconds its on a plate. One can also make plantain and cassava Arepa

That meant Alfredo's contribution to the diner was to ensure an endless supply of warm/hot  Arepa to the table while he would skip a few seconds leaving the stove on low heat to delve into his. Depending on the thickness, Arepa should take fewer minutes to make than our EA chapati otherwise declare it burnt or too hard to eat.

I thought I should share with you a 101 Arepa course with no credit on how to make the Arepa. Its awesome altho one would be eating Ugali as such try this:

Venezuelan-style Arepas (Arepas Rellenas) Recipe

J. Kenji López-Alt

           
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[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

• Yield:makes 4 sandwich-sized arepas
• Active time:25 minutes
• Total time:25 minutes

This recipe appears in:

Latin American Cuisine: Colombian Arepas

Notes:

1. Masarepa is dehydrated cooked corn meal. It is available in the Latin section of most supermarkets in wither white or yellow varieties. This recipe calls for white, but they can be freely substituted. Popular brands include Goya and P.A.N.
2. Crumbled cheese can be added if desired. Depending on the moisture level of the cheese, you may not need all the water. Colombian-style queso fresco is ideal. If you can't find it, substitute cotija, ricotta salata, or feta.
3. Arepas can also be cooked on a greased panini press or a grill over low heat.

Directions

1. 1.

   Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Combine masarepa, cheese (if using), 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a medium bowl and knead with hands until a dough is formed. Take a small amount and flatten it between your palms If the edges crack, knead in more water a tablespoon at a time until dough is supple and smooth but not sticky. Season dough to taste with salt, then cover and set aside for five minutes.

2. 2.

   Divide dough into four even pieces and roll into balls. Working on a wooden cutting board or a regular cutting board with a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper on top of it, flatten each ball down to a disk about 4-inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick.

3. 3.

   Melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat (see note #3 above). Add arepas and cook, moving them around the pan and rotating them occasionally, until first side is charred in spots and a dry crust has formed, about five minutes. Flip arepas and cook on second side until a dry crust has formed, about five minutes longer. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes, split, fill, and serve.
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4. 

   Arepas are popular street food in Venezuela and Columbia. This handy recipe consists of corn patties that are either stuffed or topped with a variety of fillings/toppings. The street vendors selling arepas in Venezuela are called Areperos and they use cheese, meat or scrambled eggs as stuffing in this popular go-to food. Arepas are also served as part of a platter along with other recipes. The beauty of this dish resides in its simplicity and versatility. The fried corn patties are usually stuffed with meat but can be modified according to one's creative imagination and taste.
   

Gwokto La'Kitgum

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"Even a small dog can piss on a tall building" Jim Hightower

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