Arepas

This is a take on a traditional recipe from the northern part of South America. They're traditionally made with a special pre-cooked corn flour called masarepa, but that's pretty difficult to find in North America, so this recipe uses regular corn flour, masa harina. You can find it in the global aisle of the supermarket or a Latin grocer, or you can sub in plain cornmeal instead (see recipe tips).

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  
• 1/2 of an onion
  
  
• 1 clove garlic
  
  
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  
  
• 1/4 cup cilantro
  
  
• 2 cups warm water
  
  
• 2 cups corn flour, or masa harina
  
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
  
• Another 1/2 tablespoon oil, to fry the arepas
  
  
• Optional toppings: shredded cheese, salsa or pico de gallo, canned black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the cilantro from its stem and mince finely.
   
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often for around 3 minutes.
   
   
3. Add the corn, and cook until the oven has softened, around 2-4 minutes more. Add the water and cilantro, stir, and remove from heat.
   
   
4. Mix corn flour and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the onion-corn from the pan, and stir until the mixture forms a dough. It should look something like mashed potatoes. You can add a little more water or corn flour until it looks right, if needed.
   
   
5. Divide the dough into 8 portions, and roll them into balls. Flatten into 1/4 inch discs.
   
   
6. Clean and dry the skillet, and heat the remainder of the oil in it on medium heat. Add the arepas to the skillet and fry until lightly browned on both sides, around 3-4 minutes per side.
   
   
7. Serve warm, with whatever toppings you like.

• If you can't find masa harina, you can sub in an equal amount of cornmeal, though it will make the finished product a little more gritty. You want to blend your cornmeal up in a high powered blender or food processor until it's a finer powder..

• Arepas can also be cut in half like a pita and stuffed with cheese or other toppings. Or they can be served sweet, with a little butter and honey or maple syrup on top.

• Leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
  
  
• Cooked or uncooked arepas can be tightly wrapped and placed in an air tight container or freezer bag for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and either cook in a pan as directed or (if they've been cooked before being frozen) reheat in a 350F oven until warmed through.

Recipe adapted from Vetrans Affairs Nutrition Department

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!