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Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Rub a generous amount of salt and pepper to both sides of your steak. Serve immediately with your choice of fillings.ġ large ripened plantain, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces on a biasġ/2 of small wheel Queso Fresco, crumbledĢ small green onions, julienned (green and whites) Immediately place the discs over your preheated pan and cook the arepas for 5-7 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown. If the dough is too soft add a little more of Harina P.A.N or more water if it’s too hard.įorm dough balls and flatten them gently into discs until they’re about 1/2-inch thick. The arepa dough should be firm but not cracking when formed. Then add the oil to the dough, working the dough with your hands for about a minute. While you’re waiting, heat a non-stick griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Allow the dough to rest 5 minutes to thicken up. Using your hands, mix the dough, breaking any clumps with your fingers. With a whisk, mix until the salt and sugar is dissolved. Slowly add in the Harina P.A.N. In a medium-sized bowl add the water, salt and sugar. Look for the “P.A.N” as it’s very different from the harina used in pupusas and gorditas.) So I made my best attempt at recreating these delicate bellezas del cielo.Īrepa dough recipe slightly adapted from Mommyhood’s Diary blogģ cups Harina P.A.N (precooked white corn meal. I had long (actually not quite that long, more like a week after) daydreamed of my rather virginal Arepa experience, wanting more. The sweetness of the yellow corn v iuda (Spanish for “widow” referring to an unfilled arepa) is most excellent on its own, but when paired with the various fillings, it becomes this flavor explosion in your mouth–the sweetness from the viuda and plantain, the salty from the pabellón and queso fresco and the gentle acidity from the guasacaca.Every inch of your tastebuds are satisfied, wanting more and not knowing when, (or how) to stop. If such a heaven exists, I was definitely in it. I can’t even begin to describe how delicious the sweet corn, cake-like arepas, filled with hearty shredded beef pabellón, fried plantains, black bean purée and queso fresco were. My awesome, longtime friend and hostess Amber, took me to this amazing Venezuelan restaurant in the Mission called Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen. While in the past I’ve enjoyed a Gordita or two or 10 , and have had quite the experience being a human pupusería, I hadn’t stumbled upon Arepas until my recent trip to San Francisco a few weeks ago. (Just ask a Venezuelan how their arepas compare to that of a Colombian’s, or vise-versa, and you will get strong disagreements from each party.) They all sound strikingly similar, but most will argue, are quite different. Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, 3970 17th St., (415) 525-3359.Each are comprised of a corn flour-batter mix, shaped into a disc, fried in oil and stuffed with various fillings. Plus, upstairs seating means you could theoretically catch a glimpse of naked people sunning in the parklet, should San Francisco realize its grievous error and let them return. Nice touches abound at Pica Pica: attentive service, masks on the walls, a check that comes tucked in a Venezuelan novel. Because the smoky tang of mojo sauce is perfection. You may approach it with hesitation, fearing heat, but you will quickly have an epiphany: go ahead and drown that arepa. It's "mojo sauce," and it's made with red and white vinegar, carrots, onions, jalapeño and habanero peppers, and honey.
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The shredded beef pabellón - with sweet plantains, black bean spread and queso fresco - was a smallish but thoroughly satisfying meal, especially with the airy crunch of the coleslaw balanced against the hearty stewed meat.Īnd then there's the matter of that mystery condiment populating every table. See also: Mission Picnic Is Open For All Your Dolores Park Sandwich NeedsĬharles Phan on His New Restaurant South, Now Open at SF JAZZĪrepas, a Venezuelan staple not unlike pupusas, fill Pica Pica's menu, with a choice between "classic white" or "sweet yellow" corn. Inside, however, the warmly painted walls and friendly staff indicate that this is a cut above the sea of mediocrity that is eating in the Castro. (Hint: Pica Pica is next to the Chevron station, behind the accumulation of idling F-Market streetcars). The nondescript Castro location is hidden in plain sight, such that you might find yourself leaning on the front door, scanning Google Maps. And it's far less polarizing than inflammatory anti-American rhetoric. Hugo Chavez is dead, but Venezuelan food lives on at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, the second S.F. The shredded beef pabellon arepa at Pica Pica.