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Categories:Viewed: 61 - Published at: 9 years ago
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups arepa meal (see Note)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 2/3 cups warm water
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 pound Oaxaca cheese or whole-milk mozzarella, cut into 36 thin 2-inch squares
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced serrano ham, each slice cut into 4-inch pieces
- Hot sauce, for serving
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, mix the arepa meal with the salt and sugar.
- Stir in the warm water.
- Press out any lumps in the dough.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough stand for 10 minutes, until firm.
- Using moistened hands, divide the dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope.
- Cut each rope into 9 pieces and keep covered with a damp towel.
- Using moistened hands, roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a 2 1/2-inch round, a scant 1/2 inch thick.
- Keep covered.
- Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in each of 2 large nonstick skillets.
- Working in batches, fry the arepas over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes.
- Add more oil to the skillet as necessary.
- Drain the arepas on paper towels and transfer to a large baking sheet.
- Using a small serrated knife, split each arepa horizontally.
- Fill them with the cheese and ham and return to the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Transfer the arepas to a platter and serve warm, with hot sauce.
