Well, I have wanted Arepas so bad since I got back from the Dominican, so I finally decided to make some.
Now, technically arepas are Argentinian corn cakes. I know that seems strange, considering I had them in the D.R., but sometimes you find the best things in the strangest places, right?
Anyways, I usually don't use recipes, but for these I had to. However, for the filling I did not.
Let's begin.
To make the arepas, we need precooked corn meal, water, salt and oil. For the filling, I decided to make BBQ chicken, so for that I needed BBQ sauce, and chicken. Obviously. LOL.
First, I put the chicken into a skillet with a little barbecue sauce. I actually took this chicken out of the freezer 2 days ago, put it in a Tupperware with half a bottle of sauce, and let it marinade. So I dumped all of that into the pan and let it cook on medium heat, covered, for about a half hour.
While that cooked, I started on the arepas. First, preheat the oven to 400.
Next, measure out 2 cups of corn meal, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 3 cups of water. Mix the corn meal and salt in a Pyrex bowl. Boil the water then add 2 1/2 cups of it to the corn meal. Stir with a wooden spoon, then cover and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Once that cools down, work the dough into hamburger sized patties. You will need to wet your hands a little to prevent the dough from sticking to them.
Once they are all formed, heat some oil on medium-high heat and add the arepas. cook each side until brown, then transfer to a cookie sheet.
Cook these at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until they sound hollow when you tap them.
OK, while those are in the oven, I finished the chicken. Because I cooked it over lower heat for a longer time, with some BBQ sauce, it ended up juicy and tender. Perfect for shredding!
To shred (or pull) the chicken, I use 2 forks. Some people use their hands, but I like this method best. And after I shredded it all, I added a little more sauce.
When the arepas are done, take them out of the oven, cut a slit in them, fill with chicken and cheese, then a slice of tomato and some lettuce, and you have yourself a pretty Amazing meal!!
Who wants the last bite??? :)
