It’s my final installment of my culinary exploration featuring the ever versatile P.A.N. Cornmeal! After the last couple of recipes, I’ve found myself reaching for the
P.A.N. Cornmeal more often – I can see why South American claims P.A.N. Cornmeal as the number one cornmeal!
Prior to this campaign, I enjoyed dishes with cornmeal but wasn’t familiar with using it. I was surprised to learn that only recently has P.A.N. Cornmeal found its way into the kitchens in America, despite existing for many years. Turns out, cornmeal is common in counties around the world as it is rich in nutrients and the ease of use. Cornmeal is so versatile!
This month, I made a traditional cornmeal recipe with P.A.N. Cornmeal called Arepa. An Arepa is a flatbread made from cornmeal – and it’s such a simple process to make them! Cut them in half and fill them with whatever you please! Not only are Arepa’s quick and easy to make, but you can get as creative as you wish!
I paired my arepa with Cilantro Lime Chicken and Cheddar Cheese – so delicious! When it comes to arepas, you are in control – it’s a basic recipe that you can make your own. Keep the fillings simple or go wild!
Arepa
Ingredients:
2 ½ C. water
1 tsp. salt
2 C. P.A.N. Cornmeal
Directions:
Pour water into a bowl, add salt and cornmeal gradually. Knead until a smooth dough is formed (I turned mine out onto the counter top) and let rest for 3 minutes.
Separate dough into 8-10 pieces. Take one portion in your hands and shape it into a ball, then press it with your palms to form a large patty shape of about 3 1/2″ in diameter. Place onto a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. Brown on both sides and serve hot. Open the arepa and fill it to taste.
For the Cilantro Lime Chicken Arepa, I simply shredded two chicken breasts that I had grilled. They were wonderfully marinated in a Cilantro Lime seasoning. I added cheddar cheese, but you could add any combination of filling for the arepa. Corn and/or black beans mixed in with the chicken would have been delightful!
I love that arepa’s are so easy to make! It’s something that I can make on a busy night when we have dance or have late meetings without stressing.
Next time, I’m going to put a Nebraska twist on my arepa. Folks in Nebraska love Cabbage Burgers or Runzas. In a nutshell, it is ground beef and cabbage wrapped in dough and baked – it’s filling and so tasty! I grew up with them and I enjoy making them for my family. It’s the one thing that my gluten-free sister-in-law can’t enjoy. I think she’d really enjoy an Arepa stuffed with the ground beef/cabbage mixture Add sautéed mushroom and provolone cheese for an Over-The-Top Cabbage Burger Arepa!
To find more recipes using P.A.N. Cornmeal, check out the P.A.N. Tumbler page!
Connect with P.A.N. Cornmeal on YouTube
19 Responses
Good post! Never heard of PAN before, learn something new everyday, lol, thanks!
This sounds like one great recipe and I am liking it is not real difficult to make either.
How sturdy was it as a sandwich? Did the “bun” fall apart? I’m wondering if this would make a good substitute for the tasteless GF bread.
What a delicious recipe idea! Looks easy to make and the flavoring sounds great!
interesting,,that looks really good
This looks so yummy. I will have to try this recipe.
I wouldn’t have thought of using corn meal for dough. This sandwich looks delicious! I love the mixture of flavors. Thanks for the easy recipe. 🙂
These arepas look yummy & easy to make. I like that you could use them for any meal of the day or as a snack. Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
This sounds like easy recipe difficult to make and looks like tastes great.
This looks like tasty sandwich, looks almost l like an english muffin. Thanks for sharing!
that looks amazing i have seen those sandwiches on tv and wondered how you go about making them ty for sharing…
I love making sandwiches, have dozens of recipes, thank you for giving me another one to add to the list. Will make this for my husband this weekend.
Looks tasty and easy to prepare too.
This looks super good. I have never seen this cornmeal before
This is the first I have ever heard of a arepap sandwich it looks easy to make
Had never even considered using cornmeal as a gf option. I know others do but I just eat mostly grain free and lots of meat and veggies and fruit. This made me think of gradeschool days with wonderful cornmeal and honey squares. Ready to get some ‘taste’ back into my diet.
I like how simple and versatile these are.
I didn’t realize these were so simple. I love sandwiches and really love shredded chicken.