Recipe courtesy of Franco Noriega
Baby Arepas
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 405
- Total Fat
- 30
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Carbohydrates
- 25
- Dietary Fiber
- 4
- Sugar
- 1
- Protein
- 10
- Cholesterol
- 34
- Sodium
- 339
- Total: 35 min
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
1 cup pre-cooked yellow cornmeal, such as P.A.N.
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces Mexican chorizo, casing removed
4 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chipotle adobo sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Add 1 1/4 cups water to a large bowl. Stir in the cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt and pepper until smooth. Let the dough rest and hydrate, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the chorizo and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of your spoon, until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to one end of a baking sheet with a slotted spoon, leaving any rendered fat behind. Transfer to the oven to keep warm.
- Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Divide the dough into 16 balls. Flatten the dough balls one at a time with your hands into 1/2-inch-thick disks about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. As you finish each disk, add it to the hot skillet, being careful not to overcrowd. You will need to do this in batches.
- Cook until the arepas are browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about another 2 minutes. Add about 1 tablespoon of the Muenster cheese to the top of each arepa and cover to melt, about 1 minute. Transfer the arepas to the baking sheet with the chorizo; return to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese.
- Mix the mayonnaise with the chipotle adobo sauce and lime juice in a small bowl until combined. Mix in the chorizo. Top each arepa with the avocado, chorizo mayo and cilantro. Serve immediately.