Arepas, Spaghetti Squash and Basil Chicken with Feta

Arepas

A week or so back, we had a really nice young couple from north of Miami stay at the cabana.    Alessandro and Ana were born in Venezuela, but their parents immigrated here quite some time ago., and they own a boutique hotel up in Hollywood, FL.   Ana likes to cook, and we talked about a signature Venezuelan food – the Arepa. Think of an arepa as a sort of crusty English Muffin made with cornmeal.

Unlike many of the Latin breads, the arepa uses a uniquely different masa flour – one that is pre-cooked. The brand you want to look for is P.A.N., and you want the orange bag version of the flour.

Masa Arepa -- P.A.N. tm  brand

Water

Filling – cheese, scrambled eggs, pulled pork/beef/chicken, you name it.

Mix nearly equal amounts of meal and water – 2 cups of masa arepa to 2-1/2 cups of water (and maybe a bit more – into a soft dough. Let it set for a few minutes. Form the dough into 'cakes' about 3/8” thick and 3-4” in diameter.

Heat some oil on a skillet or on a griddle until it shimmers. Fry the arepas 5 minutes per side until GB&D. Set them on paper towels to drain. When somewhat cool, slice in half with a bread knife, and fill. 

 My first -half- batch came out OK, but just barely. They were tasty enough with a slice of cheese, but the arepas were too thin and too crispy. But filled with a slice of cheese they made a nice appetizer/ snack. I realized I hadn't used enough oil.  Consequently the cakes took very long to brown, and weren't very soft inside.

The second time, I put more than 1/4” of oil in the skillet, and made a full batch of dough with 2 cups of flour and 2-1/2 cups of water, plus a bit.  This gave me eight really nice sized arepas.  You want the dough soft, not stiff, but not sloppy wet either. This time I “pan-deep-fried” things, with the oil coming at least half way up the sides of the cakes. I made sure the oil was really hot (450F in my electric skillet) before adding the cakes.  They came out GB&D cooked 5 minutes per side. Inside they were soft, almost like a steamed bread.

I served mine as a major component of Fiesta Latino dinner Saturday night – fresh hot Venezuelan Arepas filled with Mojo Pulled Pork, and a side of Frijoles Cubano from Bush's Beans Cocina Latinatm series.  That's the photo at the top of the page.

Spaghetti Squash

I learned to make this as “boats” filled with meat sauce.  But Sally likes her squash shredded out of the skin and plated like conventional pasta, so I've taken to doing it "her way". This is more of a technique than a fixed recipe:

1 large Spaghetti Squash

1 batch of “spaghetti sauce” – I generally use a Newman's Owntm jar of sauce doctored with ground beef/chicken/turkey, mushrooms and bell peppers.

Microwave the squash 8-12 minutes until the skin starts to soften. Meanwhile, make your sauce.

When the squash is done, cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.   With a pair of forks, shred the flesh from the inside of the squash onto two plates. There may be leftover squash and sauce for lunch the next day. If there is no leftover squash, ladle leftover sauce onto toasted English Muffins or Arepas!

Ladle the finished sauce on top of the squash shreds, and serve. Can be served with a side of crusty garlic bread if you like.

Chicken with Basil & Feta

This is a take-off on the Baked Shrimp with Feta recipe I reported a couple weeks ago. We had a small Brunch party Sunday, with a couple of old friends we hadn't connected with in awhile, plus Sally's Mum. It was Sally who suggested I try a chicken version of the Baked Shrimp recipe and kick up the basil content. So here's what I did.

6 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

1 large bottle Spicy Italian salad dressing

1 jar of Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

1 really large Sweet White Onion, cut into short strips

1 packet fresh Basil from the Produce department

1 15 oz bag Frozen Peas

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 box Fettucini

8 oz Feta cheese.

Thaw the chicken thoroughly, then marinate it overnight in the Italian dressing, using a large zip-top bag and squeezing out as much air as you can.

The next day, fry the chicken in a splash of oil, 5 minutes per side, which will almost completely cook the breasts. Place the meat “beauty side up” in a 9x13 baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In the same skillet, saute the sliced onions until soft. Add the garlic and cook a couple minutes more. Pour the pasta sauce over the onions, add half a jar of water, the bag of frozen peas and half of the basil cut julienne. Simmer everything for 10-15 minutes to marry the flavors.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the rest of the basil (also cut julienne) over the top,  then crumble or small-dice the cheese and scatter it on top of the everything. 

 Bake for 30-45 minutes until the cheese starts to melt a bit, and everything is heated through and bubbly. Serve over the fettucini.

For dessert I made strawberry shortcake. The shortcakes are a basic Bisquicktm sweet biscuit. For 6 shortcakes:

2-1/3 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

3-4 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp melted Butter or Margarine

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Combine the ingredients with a fork to form a soft dough. Divide into 6 portions (I used a 1/3 cup measure, and space them out on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until GB&D. 

Split, top with sweetened berries and shipped cream, and serve.