Spring
Charcutepalooza: Spring Chorizo Arepas
- Serves 8
Author Notes
The fun of grinding meat for Charcutepalooza's May challenge. Spicy homemade sausage that's so easy to make at home, tops a cornmeal griddle cake that's to die for. Arepas are made of ground corn flour, popular in Columbia and Venezuela. They're a corn griddle cake that can be filled or topped with cheese, eggs, meat, pretty much whatever you want. You'll need to find Masarepa (pre-cooked white or yellow corn flour) in order to make them. Goya makes a version that I found at my local supermarket. It's fairly easy to find. They're tasty, especially when filled with some kind of cheese, and they happen to be perfect topped with chorizo. —lighterandlocal
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Arepas
-
2 cups
masarepa
-
1 teaspoon
salt
-
3 cups
warm water
-
butter for grilling
- Topping
-
1.5 cups
chopped kale
-
1.5 cups
chopped rainbow chard
-
1/2 pound
chorizo
-
1/2 cup
chopped garlic greens
-
1 cup
sliced radishes
-
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
1/8 teaspoon
ground black pepper
-
1/2 teaspoon
chipolte chile powder (or regular)
-
1/4 teaspoon
cumin
-
1/4 teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1
avocado, sliced
-
queso fresco
Directions
- First, let's make the arepas. In large bowl, combine masarepa, water, and salt and stir until combined. Allow to sit for five minutes. While you're allowing it to rest, heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat, melting enough butter to grill the cakes you're about to make. Now, form 8 small balls of the mixture, pressing each down until they make a 4-5 inch tortilla, about 1/2 an inch thick. Grill each until golden on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Now, get your water boiling in a large saucepan. While that's happening, fill an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Once your water is boiling, add kale and rainbow chard, cooking about 2 minutes before you fish it out with a slotted spoon or strainer, plunging it into the ice bath. Drain and set aside.
- Begin to brown your chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat. You want it to get nice and browned, very crumbly. Once it gets to that point, transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate, cover with foil and set aside.
- In that same skillet with the fat from the chorizo, add your garlic greens, radishes, kale, chard and all of your spices. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the radishes are tender.
- Finally, you want to assemble these babies. Take your arepas, top with greens mixture, chorizo, queso fresco, and then top with the slices of avocado. Serve and enjoy!
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