Arepas

I love all Latin dishes,  especially Mexican food. So when I went to Florida last March I was excited to have more Cuban food, but what really surprised me was Venezuelan food.  It was our last day in Orlando and we just made a quick stop at a strip mall when I found this wonderful restaurant.  One of the dishes they had was arepas (its been a while and I'm not sure that that's what it was called, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong :D).  It was a sweet masa pancake filled with a lovely melted cheese.  How can you go wrong with cheese?  I have been craving that since we came back and then I remembered seeing my cousin making homemade quesadilla.  It was interesting to watch since he used masa and not the already made corn or flour tortilla.  It motivated me to try it myself.  So I got instant masa flour and went to work.  

Masa

*I went with the ratio method since it depends on how much you want to make. 

1 part to 1 part instant masa to water *This may vary on how dry or wet you want the masa.

1 part sugar to 4 parts masa *to make it a little sweet.  

Corn (optional, but it would be great to add if you have it. I wish I did.)

Directions

1. 
   
   Mix the flour and sugar together. *Corn if you have it. 
2. 
   
    Slowly add the water.  I would add it in parts so you are able to judge if it needs more or less. 
3. 
   
   Create little pancakes
4. 
   
   Grill it on a non-stick skillet on medium heat.  You could add a little butter but it is not really necessary.
5. 
   
   Once it starts to dry up a little, flip them over. 
6. 
   
   Once cooked, let it cool a little. 
7. 
   
   Make a small incision in the middle of the cake and insert the cheese so the heat from the arepas can make it nice and gooey.
8. 
   
   Top however you like and enjoy.

 

 

When it is finish, it looks like this.

Carnitas recipe

1 Lb of Pork Butt

1 Cup of Brown Sugar 

1 Cup of Molasses

A little water to dilute the mixture

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. 
   
   Chop the pork into small pieces and season it to your preference. 
2. 
   
   Let it brown in a deep skillet until it is cooked.
3. 
   
   In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, molasses, and enough water so it will be runny but still thick.
4. 
   
   Add it to the pork and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, mixing constantly. 

 

I topped it with some romaine lettuce, tomatoes, Mexican sour cream and carnitas.