Arepas con Chukar Reina Pepiada
Preparing chukar in this Venezuelan recipe makes for a summery upland meal
Ingredients
- 2 chukar dressed and quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ white onion chopped
- 2 dried chiles such as chile de arbol
- Bay leaf
- 2 cups water
Reina pepiada
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ white onion finely diced
- 1 lime juiced
- Fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp mavesa mayo
Arepas
- 2 cups Goya masarepa
- 1½ cups warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a high-walled saute pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. While the oil is heating up, season quartered chukar with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Brown the chukar pieces on all sides. The goal here is to get good color on the meat without cooking it all the way through.
- Once you have flipped the meat, add your garlic cloves, half a white onion, chiles de arbol, and a bay leaf to the pan. Saute with the chukar until fragrant, 1 or 2 minutes.
- Add the water to the pan and scrape its bottom to deglaze it. Reduce heat to low, cover, and braise chukar pieces for 20 to 30 minutes.
- While the meat is braising, start making the reina pepiada. Finely dice one half of a white onion. Spoon the avocado out of its shell and into a mixing bowl, and add 1 tsp salt and lime juice. Mash the avocado, adding the white onion and cilantro once finished. Stir in the mayo.
- Remove the meat from the pan and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and place it in a mixing bowl, discarding any bones or connective tissue. Finish the reina pepiada by tossing the chukar meat in the avocado-mayo mixture. Set aside.
- To make the arepas, add masarepa, warm water, and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into portions roughly equal to the size of a lemon. Use a circular motion to shape each ball into a flat disk about 4 or 5 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.
- Melt 1 tbsp of neutral oil and 1 tbsp butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the arepas for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Open the arepa with a butter knife, similar to opening a pita, and stuff with the reina pepiada. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 892kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 46gFat: 56gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 238mgSodium: 800mgPotassium: 995mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 606IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 128mgIron: 7mg
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