Cook with Us #8 - Breakfast Arepa

Some of you might already know arepas. I mean, the Venezuelan diaspora has done a good job in presenting one of our favorite dishes to the world. Even Nicole Kidman has tried them.

But for all Venezuelans this is not just some food. It's the epitome of Venezuelan food and to us it means family and love. Closeness. This is the food your grandma makes every Sunday morning when the whole family gets together. We cook arepas when we need comfort or when we have no idea what to eat and are starving.

It's even perfect in the afternoon as a quick lunch when you have no time to loose, or at night it's best shared with friends after dancing or drinking.

An arepa is a kind of corn flat bread that you can fill with literally anything. Cheese, ham, eggs, meat, avocado, chicken, beans, plantain, and even make a filling with other typical Venezuelan dishes. There is no limit to creativity, and with so many combinations it's a very nutritious meal. Although the one thing that never changes is the power that arepas cooking on a budare have of calling the whole family to gather around the table.

Ingredients for arepa:

• 1 cup corn flour
• 2 cups water
• salt to taste
• oil

I like to add 2 tablespoons of flax seeds for a punch of fiber and omega 3.

Ingredients for filling:

• 5 eggs
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup spinach leaves washed and rinsed
• salt to taste
• cheese to taste

Preparation

1. Heat a frying pan, skillet or budare on medium heat. Grease to prevent sticking.
2. Mix the corn flour, water, flax seeds and salt until you get a smooth dough. If needed, add more water.
3. With your hands make balls with the dough and then flatten out. Make the edges round.
4. Put on your heated surface and cook until it browns. Then flip and cook on the other side.
5. While the arepas are cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil on a frying pan and add the chopped onion. Let cook.
6. After, add the spinach and wilt.
7. Whisk the eggs with salt and incorporate to the onions and spinach. Let cook on one side and flip.
8. Once your arepas are done, cut them in half with a knife and fill with the omelet and cheese of choice.

Now all you have to do is enjoy your breakfast! If you wish, you can mash some avocado to put inside the arepa or cut it in slices to eat as a side.

Thank you to the @cookwithus team - @chefsteve , @pandamama and @offoodandart. Just like last time, I found this contest very fun!