Nom, nom, nom! And breakfast is served.
It’s been a while since I did a Memories of Meals Past post, so I thought it was about time. As I’ve mentioned before, the DH is from South America, which brings all sorts of new foods and cooking skills into our household. Take for example, the arepa.
What is the arepa? Well, what isn’t it? One can eat it for breakfast, for lunch, stuffed with a myriad of things for dinner, as an evening snack, and I’ve even eaten it as a post-party food. It’s basically a cornmeal patty, in my opinion, although I’m sure any Venezuelans reading this post will gasp in horror at that quick summation. But I think it is like a cornmeal patty, just often used the way a pita would be used (stuffed, or as a side with a meal). Naturally, as many different uses as there are for an arepa, there are different recipes.
At any rate, I used this recipe, and Pan brand corn meal/flour.
One has to use the right brand of corn meal/flour, and as any Venezuelan knows, Pan is the only brand to use. Any other brand? Inferior. I’m not a big brand label person, and also not a huge arepa-eating person, so I can’t tell the difference, but the DH assures me that there is one.
This recipe isn’t perfect, in that melted butter is listed an ingredient, but one is told in the recipe text when to add it in. Instead the text says to use vegetable oil to grease the pan; I baked on a cookie tray, and used the melted butter to grease it all up nice and slippery. (I feel like I’m an honourary Southerner, just writing that sentence. Tee hee!)
I made half a batch of these arepas (only 4), as they’re not my favourite snack/meal/whatever, much to the disappointment of the DH. I put together a plate for him, pictured above (served with ricotta cheese and a tropical fruit salad), and then did a couple of chores around the house. When I went back to try an arepa…he was eating the very last bite of the very last one. I’ll take that as a compliment!
Do you have a favourite arepa recipe? If so, share it in the comments!
Next Post: More bread for my latest Food Odyssey? Or shall I spring into…Spring with some spritz cookies? Or maybe whip together some baby bunny butt cupcakes that have been percolating in my mind? Only time shall tell! That and my cravings.
On this chilly fall morning, the arepas were stuffed with butter, eggs and creamy quark cheese from Clock Shadow Creamery down the street.
Oooh, that sounds absolutely delicious!