Arepas

(Venezuelan corncakes)

Yield: 5-10 cakes

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Pre-cooked cornmeal (see notes)		2 cups
Salt		1/2 tsp
Water	boiling	3 cups
Oil		For sauteing

Basic Steps: Mix → Knead → Rest → Form → Sauté → Bake

In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal with the salt. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the boiling water and mix with a spoon to form a mass. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400º. With wetted hands, form balls of dough out of about 1/4 cup of dough and press to form a cake about 3" wide and 3/4" thick. If dough cracks at edges, mix in a little more water and then form the cakes.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and pour in a thin layer of oil. Sauté the patties a few at a time to lightly brown and form a crust on one side, 5-6 minutes. Flip and sauté on the other side.
When all patties have been browned, transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes till they sound lightly hollow when tapped. Serve immediately.

To make filled arepas, split in half and scoop out a little of the soft dough filling. Stuff with your chosen filling.
Arepa de Pabellón: shredded, seasoned meat and black beans.
Reina Pepeada: chopped chicken, avocado, and mayonnaise mashed together.
Arepa de Dominó: black beans and crumbled white cheese.
Arepa de Perico: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onions.
Columbian Arepas: make smaller and thicker and don't bake. Top with butter and melted cheese.
Other possible fillings: grated white or cheddar cheese; guasacaca, ham and cheese, hard-boiled quails eggs.
The sautéing step is sometimes skipped and the arepas are simply baked. In the countryside arepas are often cooked on the grill.
Small arepas can be made and served as appetizers with garnishes on top instead of inside. Or they can be eaten as small biscuits.
Sometimes a little sugar is mixed in with the dough to form sweet arepas (arepas dulces).

Arepas are Venezuela's national bread. They are eaten at all meals and throughout the day. These small corncakes are sold in in restaurants called areperías, where they are stuffed with all manner of fillings. Arepas are the basically the Venezuelan version of the sandwich.
This simple bread was originally made by the indigenous inhabitants, but it has since become a sentimental favorite of Venezuelans of all races and classes.
The cornmeal used to make arepas is a special, precooked type that usually goes by the name masarepa, or masa precocida. It can often be found in Latino markets. The more commonly found masa harina is not the correct type to use for this recipe.