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Arepas with an Italian touch

Quick answerMakes 3-4 servings, ready in 1 hour, Venezuelan cuisine.
By Jaron Kimhi··👁 539 views
arepas-filled
This is not the traditional recipe for Arepas. You'd usually want to use a pre-cooked white corn flour like P.A.N., but since this brand isn't available in all the major supermarkets, I use MASECA, which is a Mexican corn flour brand — and I actually loved the results. To make sure the corn is cooked through, I like to bake it in the oven for an additional 10 minutes on high heat. What you put inside is up to you. Arepas are very versatile and take everything. That said, it's common to use black beans, avocado, salsa, sour cream, and your favorite ground beef recipe.

Method

  1. 1

    Making the Arepas dough· 35 minutes

    In a big bowl, mix all ingredients. knead with your hands till the dough is formed (the mix is quite sticky). Let it rest for 30min before continue

    arepas-ingredientsarepas-mixarepas-dougharepas-dough
  2. 2

    Forming the Arepas· 10

    Heat a skillet and meanwhile with two wet hands form the Arepa patty (not too thin because they need to be sliced after). Put a little oil in the skillet and fry the Arepas about 3 minutes from each side till they are golden brown.

    arepa-fryingarepas
  3. 3

    Finishing the Arepas in the oven· 15

    Heat the oven to 430F. Place the Arepas on a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fill the Arepas with your favorite goodies!

    arepas-on-panarepas-in-ovenarepas-filled
Recipe by

Jaron Kimhi

Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.

More recipes by Jaron →

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Cuisines
Venezuelan
Features
Gluten Free30 minutes or lessVegetarian

Questions & answers

Can I use yellow corn flour instead of white?
Stick with white corn flour like Maseca if you can — it gives you the right texture and flavor. Yellow corn flour is a different product and won't behave the same way.
My dough feels too sticky to shape — what do I do?
That's totally normal, the recipe even warns you it'll be sticky. Wet your hands before forming each patty and re-wet them as needed — it makes shaping way easier.
Can I skip the oven step and just pan-fry the whole time?
The oven step is what finishes cooking the inside properly, so don't skip it. Fry them golden on the skillet first, then give them the full 10 minutes at 430F.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
The dough already rests 30 minutes before you shape it, so you can mix it earlier in the day and keep it covered. Just make sure you're not skipping that rest — it matters for the texture.
Do I need to add mozzarella or can I leave it out?
The mozzarella is baked right into the dough here, not just a topping, so it's part of what makes these arepas have that Italian twist. Leave it out and you've got a pretty different recipe.