On Our Table: Arepas Stuffed with Carnitas and Guasacaca

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As executive chef at Coba Cocina, chef Jonathan Lundy nutures his passion for Southwestern and South American food on a daily basis. Here, he shares his recipe for arepas, which are a staple of Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine, and guasacaca, a Venezuelan spicy avocado salsa. An arepa is a corn-based flatbread that is typically split in the middle to create a pocket and then stuffed with some sort of filling and eaten like a sandwich. Sometimes featured as a special at Coba Cocina, these arepas created by Lundy are filled with chicken carnitas, goat cheese, baby argula and guasacaca. However, Lundy encourages creativity along with the basic use of this arepas recipe – the possibilities are endless! Coba’s beverage director and sommelier TJ Cox recommends pairing this dish with a white Argentinian wine, such as a Torrontès.

Arepas

(Makes 8 sandwich size arepas)

Ingredients

• 3 cups masarepa (corn flour) – the brand, used here, is available in Latin grocery stores

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 3 1/2 cups cold water

• 2 tablespoons butter

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place corn flour (P.A.N.), vegetable oil and kosher salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add water and mix thoroughly. Cover with a clean, damp towel and allow to rest for five minutes.

Divide dough into eight even sections.

Working on a cutting board covered with a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper, flatten each ball down to a disk about four inches in diameter and a half-inch thick.

Melt butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add arepas and cook, moving them around the pan and rotating them occasionally, until the first side is charred in spots and a dry crust has formed – about five minutes. Flip arepas and cook on second side until a dry crust has formed, about five minutes longer.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. They should sound hollow when tapped with your finger on top.

Remove from oven, let rest five minutes, and split each arepa by cutting in the middle horizontally. Fill and serve.

Guasacaca

Ingredients

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley

• 1 red onion

• 1 large green bell pepper

• 1 ripe Hass avocado

• 2 jalapeños, seeds removed

• 8 cloves fresh garlic

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor; puree until smooth.

Filling

Filling can be amended as desired – arepas are extremely versatile and may be stuffed with almost anything. Pictured, we have stuffed them with seasoned pulled chicken, goat cheese, baby arugula and guasacaca. Other filling suggestions include cheese, grilled steak, pork carnitas or even a chilled lobster salad. Be creative! ss

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