Recipe

Gluten Free Cheese Feta Arepas with Venezuelan Perico
Breakfast  Main Course  Corn  South American  
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup PAN
1 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
*1/4 cup feta cheese (not traditional, but what I had in my refrigerator), crumbled
*You can omit cheese for vegan arepa, or use vegan cheese sub

Perico Scramble
1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp margarine or butter
3 shallots, diced (or other onion equivalent)
3 small tomatoes or 1 medium roma tomato, chopped
2 eggs OR (for vegan) 1/2 firm tofu block, drained (Refrigerated type)
salt
pepper
your favorite hot sauce- tabasco or srirachi etc, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. If you can’t put your arepa browning pan (say a nonstick pan) in the oven, preheat something like a pizza stone in the oven (covered with a sheet of aluminum foil.)

Combine your pan meal, salt and warm water in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Then shape it into two balls and knead each with your hands until they are smooth and ingredients are well combined. Cover the dough you are not working with with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. Pull off a small ball of dough and shape into a flat disk, and place a small pinch of mozzarella cheese in the center, along with an even smaller pinch of crumbled feta cheese. Carefully fold over the disk so you have a potsticker/ perogie half moon shape and then gently press out the crease where the dough comes together so that it is roughly in the center of a new, circular disk you are creating. Make sure the edges of your arepa are smooth. Heat a nonstick pan or cast iron pan (ideal) with a little olive oil or other favorite oil on medium. Brown each disk- each side will take from 7-10 minutes. Try not to burn the disks- ideally they will be golden brown and not blackened. If they seem to be getting too dark too quickly, turn down the heat. When they are golden brown on both sides, put them in the oven either in the cast iron skillet OR onto the heated surface you have already placed in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, turning if desired, or until the arepas sound hollow when you tap them.

While they are in the oven, you can make the perico scramble.
Heat your teaspoon of olive oil and margarine or butter and add the diced shallots. Let them start to turn translucent and then add your chopped tomato and a little salt. While it is cooking, either whisk your eggs together (you can omit egg yolk for less fat if desired) or crumble your drained tofu. Add whisked eggs (or tofu) to the pan and combine. Let them cook nicely into scrambled eggs (or tofu) and turn as needed. Taste and season to taste with salt (if needed) and pepper. If you make it with tofu, you might try adding nutritional yeast or chopped avocado for a little extra pow.

Place your arepas on a plate with your perico scramble and add some dashes of hot sauce to the scramble or on the side of the dish. Enjoy!
Rating:  8

Original Source:  My own creation, based on a traditional dish and various internet inspiration. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. thanks!

Recipe ID:  1322 		Added:  November 15, 2008

Last Modified:  November 15, 2008