Arepas con Chocolate 

 (ah-Rĕ-pahs). Arepas are to Colombia what tortillas are to Mexico, what sourdough is to San Francisco.  Perfect for breakfast, dinner or onces (afternoon snack), arepas are made from cornmeal, sometimes mixed with shredded cheese, can be stuffed with chicken, beef…or, well, more cheese (hey, why not!), and, for best effect, slathered on top with butter and salt.

The cornmeal used to make arepas varies.  Sometimes it’s very white, which yields a plain and simple white arepa.  But if you ask me the best ones are made from choclo, a kind of corn grown in South America with a much larger, firm grain, a rougher skin and a more mildly sweet taste than the corn available in the United States.

The perfect thing to go along with arepas is hot chocolate (spelled the same in Spanish, but pronounced chō-cō-LAH-tĕ).  Some people even put a small slice of–you guessed it–cheese in the bottom of their cup of chocolate!

If you’d like to have a true Colombian-style onces, the best chocolate to use that you can find in the U.S. is the Abuelita brand.  It comes in round tablets.  You can follow the instructions on the package, or if you’re a real chocolate hound add extra to make it soupier.  I always start by melting the tablet in the pot and then add the milk.  Be sure to stir the milk very frequently so it won’t scorch.

For the arepas, you can do one of two things 1) Buy the choclo variety frozen from the Goya brand.  You can find them at Fiesta or possibly HEB, however these do not accurately represent the true glory of the choclo arepa, so if you ever have a chance to have a fresh one, do not pass it up.  2) You can follow the recipe below.

Basic Arepa Recipe

1 c of Doñarepa or P.A.N. brand white corn flour

1 1/4 c water

salt to taste

1 egg (optional, to soften the dough)

Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese (to taste and to help stick the dough together)

Pam cooking spray or similar

Knead the ingredients together in a bowl.  The consistency of the dough should not be crumbly, but will not be liquid either.  Add the cheese last.  The cheese can be eyeballed or added to your taste, but it does help stick the cakes together.  Pat into cakes about 3″ in diameter and about 1/4″ thick.  Heat a stove-top griddle or 1-2 pans to medium high heat and spray the with the cooking spray.  Cook the arepas one one side until golden brown.  Then flip them and do the same for the other side.  You might want to cut one down the middle to test whether it’s cooked.