Pork Arepa with Spicy Kale Slaw
I was in college when I made arepas for the first time with a friend from Venezuela. Since then, I’ve been hooked. They take some time to make, but with only a few ingredients, they’re pretty easy on the grocery list. You’ll use P.A.N, a special pre-cooked cornmeal, to make the arepas. If you’ve never bought P.A.N before, it’s in a bright yellow bag at the grocery store. An arepa looks like a pancake, but it is much denser and more savory. You normally make the arepa, slice it partially open, and then stuff it with your choice of meat, cheese, guacamole, etc.
If you don’t like spice, feel free to leave out the cayenne and red pepper flakes when sautéing your kale. If you prefer to leave the spicy mayo sauce off as well, feel free to omit. Enjoy!
This recipe first appeared in my biweekly recipe column, Mixing with Zest, in The Westfield Leader, page 13 on June 24, 2021.
Ingredients for arepa:
3 cups P.A.N.
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons coconut oil (more or less depending on how much you end up needing to use in the skillet. I recommend using cast iron.)
Ingredients for pork:
1 package of Niman Ranch Ground Pork (pre-seasoned)
1 shallot
Olive oil (~1 tablespoon)
Ingredients for spicy kale slaw:
1 scallion
1 bunch of kale (or an entire bag if you’re getting it pre-packaged)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (use ¼ teaspoon for sautéing the kale and ¼ teaspoon for the spicy mayo mix)
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ red pepper flakes
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt (to taste)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon mayo
Directions:
Use the directions on the P.A.N. bag to make your arepas. This will involve 1) mixing your lukewarm water, salt and P.A.N together in a bowl 2) forming the dough into pancake-like discs 3) sautéing the arepas in a skillet with melted coconut oil 4) baking the arepas on a parchment-lined baking sheet for ~10 minutes in a 350 degree oven (this last step isn’t in the P.A.N directions, but it will just heat them up nicely and make sure they’re cooked all the way through).
While your arepas are cooking in the skillet, rinse and dry your kale. Make sure to flip your arepas every few minutes before transferring them to a baking sheet to finish up in the oven. (They may stick to the bottom of the skillet slightly, but don’t worry, they’ll be fine.)
Start heating another large skillet with olive oil.
Tear your kale into small, bite-size pieces and place in the skillet to sauté on low.
Add the remaining ingredients to the kale, including ¼ teaspoon of cayenne (save the rest for the spicy mayo sauce), onion powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and salt. Stir to combine and continue to cook on low until the kale is soft and wilted. When it’s finished, remove from heat and let cool.
While your kale is sautéing, add a little olive oil and one diced shallot to another hot skillet. Add your ground pork and cook until brown. Remove from heat when finished.
If you’d like to make the spicy slaw, mix the mayo and remaining ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Add your sautéed kale and mix until the ‘sauce’ is evenly distributed.
Last, build your arepas. Once the arepas have baked, remove them from the oven and let cool slightly. Partially cut the arepa along its edge, just enough to fill it with the ground pork and kale. Enjoy & store leftovers in the fridge!