Arepa's (True Venezuelan Style)
By
Vicki Madden
@daintydish
1
Ingredients
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1/2 cbutter, approximately
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1 lbprecooked white corn meal, (pan is a common brand and comes in a 2-lb yellow plastic bag.
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3 cmilk (approximately)
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3 Tbsppanela (this is a solid stick of brown sugar made from cane juice; goya is a common brand)
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1 lbqueso fresco, a little less than 1 lb. grated (this is a soft white cheese
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dash(es)salt to taste
How to Make Arepa's (True Venezuelan Style)
- 1. In a saucepan on the stove, heat the milk, panela and butter. Meanwhile, put the corn meal, salt and queso fresco in a large mixing bowl.
- When the milk mixture is just beginning to boil, pour it over the corn meal mixture and stir all the ingredients together (This is easiest to do in an electric mixer because of the heat, but it can be done by hand as well). The dough should be very thick and not sticky;if the texture is not to your satisfaction, adjust it by adding either a little more milk or cornmeal.
- 3. Take a handful of the dough and pat it into a round cake that is not more than 3/4" thick.
- 4. Bake the arepas for about 10 min or until they start to turn golden. You can do this on a metal grill( the kind you buy for tortillas works well) either in a toster oven, or under a broiler, or over an electric oven burner.
- Serve hot with a pat of butter on top or use any of the following fillings; Fried meat with onious and spices; fried chicken wih onions and spices; ham and cheese; Tuna, onions and tomato (all chopped up in a cold form with mayonnaise). To do this cut the arepa through the middle, opening it up like a pitta bread and add the fillings. Use all different suaces, pouring each sauce onto a little of the arepa with each bite. Be creative with the toppings, sauces and fillings.