Arepas With Cheese And Corn

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal, finely ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup milk
2 T butter, more for serving, optional
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn kernels, or frozen kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small serrano or jalapeño chili, seeded and minced, optional
3 T corn, canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil

Optional: Cooked black beans or vegetables or sour cream for stuffing

Preparing the arepas:
Put cornmeal in a large bowl with salt and cheese. Put milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steam rises, then add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir into cornmeal mixture until a thick batter is formed. Fold in the corn kernels, scallion, cilantro and chili if using.

Let batter rest until it thickens into a soft dough, about 15 minutes. Gently form 3- to 4-inch balls from mixture and flatten with palm of your hand to a 1/2-inch-thick disk. [Disks can be covered and refrigerated for a few hours until time to fry.]

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook arepas, working in batches, until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes on other side. When all arepas are cooked and cool enough to handle, carefully slice them through the middle. Butter, stuff with beans, vegetables, meats, yogurt or sour cream.

Makes 8 to 12 arepas

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Arepas [Stuffed Cornbread]

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups arepa flour [pre-cooked corn flour sold in Latin American markets as masarepa, harina precocida, or masa al instante, not to be confused with masa harina - harina de maiz PAN or GOYA brands, either white or yellow]
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon canola oil, plus extra for cooking arepas

Preparing arepas:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Pour in water and mix with a spoon until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and knead for about 5 minutes moistening your hands and the board with water as you work. (Kneading in the additional moisture is an important step in making a tender arepa.) The dough should be smooth and not crack around the edges; it should be moist but not sticky. Form into disks about 3-inches around and 1/2-inch thick. (The disks can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at this point and cooked later.)

Add the oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat and cook arepas on each side just until a crust forms. Do not let brown. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the arepas make a hollow sound when tapped. Open a slit in 1 side of the arepa to make a pocket (or slice in half). Arepas can be stuffed with meat, beans and plantains or just about anything.

Makes about 4 to 5 arepas

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Alternative method:

Combine 1 cup arepas flour to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 plus 1 teaspoon cup water plus 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix and let sit for a few minutes.

Put some dough between both palms, slowly start rolling the masa into a ball, then (still rolling between both palms) slowly flatten the dough to the thickness you want. Make sure the edges have no cracks (if they have any cracks, the arepas won't have that hollow-sound when tapped). Dab any cracked edges with a finger moistened in water to eliminate any cracks.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet and brown the arepas on both sides, then place in a 350 degree F oven (500 degrees F for a slightly more crunchy exterior) for about 15 minutes; arepas will inflate slightly in the oven.

Makes 4 arepas

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Fried Plaintains

Ingredients:
4 yellow plantains
vegetable oil, for frying
kosher salt

Preparing the plaintains:
Cut the ends off the plantains and cut them into 2 pieces. Peel them and slice them in half lengthwise. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 1/4 cup oil and fry the plantains slowly until they are browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

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Pabellon Criollo [Venezuelan Pulled Beef]

Serve with black beans and white rice, or over cachapas; with fried plaintains.

Ingredients:
7 T extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 (1 1/2 pound) flank steak
1 bay leaf
2 red bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce can) whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

cilantro leaves, for garnish

Preparing the beef:
In a large casserole (that has a tight fitting lid) heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and 1 onion and fry for a few minutes until softened; remove the vegetables to a plate. Season the meat with salt and pepper; add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan, if needed, and brown the meat on both sides, about 5 minutes. Return the softened vegetables to the pan along with the bay leaf. Add enough water to just about cover the meat and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove meat from the pot and set aside; strain the liquid and reserve.

Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and put in the peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and the remaining onion; fry on medium-low heat until everything is soft and broken down, about 15 minutes. Shred the meat and add to the pan to heat through. Add some of the reserved braising liquid if the mixture becomes too dry.

Serves 6 to 8

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Cachapas With Cheese

Cachapas topped with Pabillon Criollo (Pulled Beef)

Serve pabellon criollo (pulled beef) over the top.

Ingredients for cachapas:
2 ears fresh corn
2 T masa harina
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 pound Venezuelan cheese, sliced (queso blanco, queso de mano, or with butter and queso rayado,; mozzarella, or feta can be substituted)

Preparing the cachapas:
Scrape corn kernels from the cobs; run the back of your knife along the cob to extract all the corn liquid. Put corn into a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the kernels. Add masa harina and salt and pulse to incorporate. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Divide the mixture into 4 and make 4 corn cakes. Cover and let the cakes cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and carefully flip the cachapas over. Press on them with a spatula to flatten them a bit. Cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes; they should be a dark golden brown. Top with the cheese and cover until the cheese has melted.

Serves 6 to 8

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