Great for a casual dinner, or a Sunday lunch! Venezuelan-style!
For the Arepas (aka Venezuelan corn cakes):
* 2 cups masarepa blanca (aka harina precocida or masa al instante) – usually found at a Latin grocery store or in your grocer’s Latin foods aisle
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 2 1/2 cups warm water
* 1/4 cup veggie oil
For the Filling:
* 1 1/2 cups cooled chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieces (a rotisserie chicken from your grocer works great, or you can use cooked chicken breasts)
* 2 large avocados, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
* 3 scallions, sliced thin
* 2 Tbsp lime juice
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Arepas:
Whisk together the masarepa, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the warm water to form the dough. Shape the dough into 8 patties, each about 3 inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Lay 4 arepas in the skillet and cook until just-golden on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking mat. Repeat with the remaining 2 Tbsp oil and 4 arepas.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake arepas until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile…
For the filling:
Mix all ingredients together; season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Split warm arepas with a paring knife and stuff each arepa with a generous amount of filling (filling instructions below). Serve with a bit of roasted tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh tortilla chips (Texmati rice is also a great side for this dish).
Original recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Menu Cookbook, pg 67.
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