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
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Ingredients
- Arepas
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2 cups
masarepa
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1 teaspoon
salt
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3 cups
warm water
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butter for grilling
- Topping
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1.5 cups
chopped kale
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1.5 cups
chopped rainbow chard
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1/2 pound
chorizo
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1/2 cup
chopped garlic greens
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1 cup
sliced radishes
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1/8 teaspoon
ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
chipolte chile powder (or regular)
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1/4 teaspoon
cumin
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1/4 teaspoon
cinnamon
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1
avocado, sliced
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queso fresco
Directions
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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