Venezuelan Arepas

I present you my homeland signature dish, La arepa. It was my breakfast regularly, ever since I was a baby. This cornmeal cake is becoming more and more popular and makes me super proud. They are from Venezuela and Colombia but are different.

I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, so these cornmeal cuties are part of my DNA, and in my house, we make them at least once a week. But not just your regular three-ingredient arepa. (harina, salt, and water) I add some color and nutrition like flaxseeds, oats, spinach, bell peppers, turmeric, pumpkin seeds, and many others.

Here you have the recipe for Venezuelan arepas with golden beet juice. Enjoy, and please let me know if you have any questions.

GOLDEN AREPAS

INGREDIENTS: ( 6 arepas)

• 1 1/2 Cup of Harina Pan

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 2 cups of lukewarm water

• 1/4 Cup of golden beet juice

• One teaspoon of vegetable oil ( for the pan)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the salt into the water and slowly add the harina using a wooded spoon to mix it up, then switch to your hands to start kneading.

2. Add the beet juice and keep kneading the masa until smooth (no lumps).

3. Cover the bowl with a towel to let the masa rest.

4. Preheat your Budare, non-stick pan, or a cast-iron skillet ( low-heat); spread with 1/2 teaspoon of oil on a piece of paper towel.

5. Check the masa to make sure it's still soft, then grab your first piece of masa ( like in the pic); with the palms of your hands, start rolling it to make the ball ( like playdoh ) between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball.

6. Press and switch from palm to palm to make it flat like a disk ( to your thickness preference); gently mold around the outer edge to close any cracks and make it nice and round.

7. Place the arepa on a flat surface and repeat the process with the other five arepas.

8. Turn the heat to a low medium, start placing the arepas in the pan ( or budare) and cook for 5 minutes on each side.

9. Move them to the pan with raised ridges and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side to create those good-looking grill marks. If your arepas start to puff up, it means they are ready.

10. Wrap them up with a napkin tablecloth to keep them warm and ready to eat.

NOTES:

• Harina Pan is the cornmeal flour I use because it's what I grew up with, simply the best. If you can't find it, Goya has a good one.

•Usually, I skip the grill marks, so my arepas are cooked for 7-8 minutes each side in Budare, then my countertop oven(°350) for 5 minutes.

• How to open your arepa?: put a knife in and slice it almost all the way around.

• Options for filling are Butter, cheese, avocado, veggies, meat, beans, anything you want in there. ( vegan, of course)