Hungry Travels

There are certain foods I’d much rather buy than attempt to make myself.  I call them, “Foods That are Too Difficult to Make at Home.”

Included in that category: bagels, sushi (not California rolls, but anything with fish), mochi (begrudgingly included after my mochi-making debacle), ice cream, baklava (although I might try), beef jerky, samosas, anything smoked (not feasible).

Until last night, arepas were tucked in there too.

Arepas seemed exotic and intimidating, like you could only attempt them if you had a grandmother in Venezuela who’d been making them all her life, passed down a family recipe and taught you all the secret arepas tricks.

Luckily, I have a sister who’s also an adventurous cook. When she emailed me that she was making arepas, I thought, Really? Isn’t that going to be laboriously complicated and require a special arepa pan or something?

Well, I’m happy to report: making is arepas is REALLY easy.  Way easier than pizza. Light years easier than mochi.  You could make a batch tonight.  Here’s how, from a recipe I found online:

Ingredients:
2 cups pre-cooked masarepa cornmeal (make sure it’s pre-cooked; I found Goya Masarepa in a Latin American grocery store on Halstead Ave. in Harrison)

1/2 tsp salt
3 cups boiling water
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the cornmeal and salt.  Pour in the boiling water and mix until you form a mass.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

With wet hands (that’ll keep the dough from sticking), roll the dough into meatball sized balls (maybe an inch to an inch and a half in diameter), then press them down to form round patties (I made mine around 4-5 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick).

Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet or griddle over medium, medium-high heat, and cook the arepa patties in batches until they’re lightly browned on each side (about 5-6 minutes per side).

Transfer the arepas to a baking sheet and bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped.

And that’s it!  I couldn’t believe how easy it was, and was even more thrilled with how they tasted.

I think traditionally you’re supposed to eat arepas like a sandwich — the fillings stuffed between two arepas — but I prepared mine open-faced.  More like a soft taco.

On top I completely winged it and layered Trader Joe’s BBQ shredded chicken, black beans, grilled bell peppers, feta cheese, and a splash of sriracha.

They were all that I was hoping for and more.  The texture is what makes arepas so appetizing: hugely crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and slightly chewy on the inside. They’ve got real bite to them, and their thickness gives them a sturdiness that holds up exceptionally well to the fillings.

I’ve officially removed arepas from the FTATDTMAH list.  They’re not difficult at all.  Of course, a restaurant quality arepa is probably superior to a home version, but that’s beside the point.  The point is you can eat arepas… any time you want them.