Venezuelan Arepas for Breakfast
Growing up in Venezuela meant eating arepas at least 3 times a week and loving it every time. The arepa is a symbol of Venezuelan gastronomy and one of the most common pre-Hispanic foods still popular in the country.
Arepas can be cooked in a number of different ways, grilled, baked or fried. I personally love the second one, and that’s what I will show you in this recipe.
Ingredients:
For the dough/masa:
1 1/2 cups of warm water
Drizzle of olive oil or corn oil (a spoon of melted butter works too)
1 tsp salt
1 cup of masa arepa (Harina Pan or GOYA brand, pre-cooked corn flour NOT masa harina)
For the filling: (You can fill up the arepa with whatever you want, this is a recipe for breakfast with scramble eggs)
2 chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/4 yellow onion
4 eggs
1/4 cup of chopped italian parsley
Salt & Pepper
Italian seasoning
Prosciutto (optional)
This is the Harina Pan that I use
Instructions to make the dough:
Place the water, oil and salt in a large bowl.
Slowly add the masa arepa and let it rest for 5 minutes.
After resting, start kneading the dough until no dry lumps remain.
Divide the dough into 3-4 roughly even pieces and shape each piece into a ½ inch disc (roughly 4 inches in diameter).
Corn meal with water, salt and oil.
How the dough should look after kneading.
How To Bake Your Arepas
Preheat your oven to 375F.
First, seal the arepas on a hot griddle for 3-5 minutes on each side.
Then, bake the arepas for 18-20 min, until they have puffed slightly and sound hollow when tapped.
Let the arepas cool for 5 minutes before slicing (make like a pocket)
Arepas on a hot griddle before they go in the oven for 20m.
For The Scramble Eggs Filling:
Sauté the onions, garlic and tomatoes on a pan for about 3 minutes before you add the eggs. Cook them until you get a consistency that you like, season with salt and pepper and the Italian seasoning. Set aside and add the fresh parsley.
Finally fill your arepas with the scramble eggs. You can also add butter, prosciutto or cheese if you want more flavours.
