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Cheese Stuffed Arepas & Beans - Vegetarian Dinner South American Style
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Cheese Stuffed Arepas & Beans – Vegetarian Dinner South American Style

This South American style Vegetarian meal can be eaten for dinner, but in South America it is a common meal for any time of the day - even breakfast!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Colombian
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • Arepas Ingredients:
  • 2 cups Arepa flour see Notes below
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup grated cheese whichever Latin American cheese you have access to
  • Beans Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons annatto oil see Notes below
  • 2 tablespoons sofrito see Notes below
  • 1 cups black beans soaked overnight
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat oil. Add sofrito. Fry for 2 minutes until it becomes fragrant.
  • Add beans and stir fry so they are well coated with the sofrito.
  • Add 3 cups water,  cumin and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, until beans are tender, adding more water if necessary.
  • Remove the bay leaf.
  • With am immersion blender, puree half of the beans.
  • Add cilantro and salt, to taste.  Stir to combine.
  • While the beans are cooking, make the arepas.
  • In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.  Add 1 cup of the  warm water and then slowly add the rest as needed until you have a soft dough. Dough comes together very easily and should be soft, but not sticky.  Let rest for 10 minutes covered with a damp cloth.
  • Divide dough into 6 pieces and form into balls. Take one and flatten in between your hands.   Take about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheese and place in the center. Fold the sides over the filling making sure it is well sealed.
  • On a lightly floured surface, gently roll into a circle about 5" in diameter. The dough will crack on the edges so you need to constantly be shaping the sides of the discs with your hands as you roll the arepas out.  Repeat until all the dough has been used.
  • As  you are rolling out the dough, start to fry the arepas.
  • In a skillet, heat enough oil for shallow frying.  Add arepas and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crusty on the outside.
  • Place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Notes

Arepa flour is sold as harina precocida, instant corn flour or masa, this is a special corn flour that is cooked, prior to being dried and ground into flour. There are several brands that make this - the most popular available in the U.S. are Goya, Maseca & P.A.N.  You can purchase it online at amigofoods or amazon if you cannot locally source it.
Annatto Oil is made be boiling oil and annatto seeds - The recipe can be found here - https://globalkitchentravels.com/2015/09/habichuela-guisado-stewed-beans-with-homemade-sofrito/
You can make your own sofrito or simply saute onions, garlic and bell pepper for a quickie version! Recipe for sofrito can be found here - https://globalkitchentravels.com/2015/08/homemade-sofrito/
If you'd like to make the beans soupier, you can add more water.
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