Arepas

Hubs and I have very few choices when it comes to eating out gluten free. So when Hubs discovered a little place downtown with gluten free arepas (before Covid), it was fun to get out and not have to cook!

However, the luxury of eating in a restaurant gluten free is always SO expensive. And to tell you the truth, I was not impressed with arepas when we first tried them. I found them to be doughy and bland.

So I thought we would give them a second chance and try to make them at home. It was a no brainer; with only 3 ingredients, it’s even faster than fast food! And, as it turns out, tastier!

Since it can take a while to cook a whole batch, I usually cover them with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out. I prefer my arepas small, while Hubs prefers them larger so I adjust the size accordingly before patting them out and we’re both happy.

All it takes is to find the right corn flour and this one is our favourite. Although corn is naturally gluten free, since it says gluten free right on the package, that usually means Hubs has a bit more peace of mind. There’s always a chance that a product is made in a facility that also processes wheat, which means more chance of cross contamination.

This arepas recipe can be cooked on a grill during the summer, but we typically cook them in a cast iron pan.

As mentioned, I used to find them bland. But when done, I like to slather some butter on top and salt them. There’s nothing better than the crispy bits of the exterior texture and an extra hit of salt. And of course, everything is better with a little butter.

This filling makes all the difference too. My favourite way to enjoy arepas is with our pulled pork pressure cooker recipe. The combination of smoky pork with a corn exterior is delicious. But if you ever want to switch up the arepas texture for something crunchier, but still corn, we also serve our pulled pork as chipotle guacamole pulled pork tacos.

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