Venezuela - Arepas de Queso

Background
Like most South American countries, Venezuelan cuisine is a blend of Native and European cuisines. The predominant European influences are Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian.
We had several options for breakfast. Mandoca are doughnuts made from cornmeal, eaten with butter and cheese. Caraotas is a spicy black bean dish. Perico is a scrambled egg dish with vegetables. Arepas are cornmeal pancakes which go back to pre-Colombian times. We decided to make the arepas as they were easiest to find a recipe for, plus we could compare to the Columbian arepas we made before.
We found our recipe in The South American Table, but when we got the book from the library we found the pages on arepas missing! Fortunately this section was available via Google books and contains lots of information comparing Colombian and Venezuelan arepas. The major contrast between the two is that the Venezuelan version has a softer center and is sometimes used to wrap around fillings. The recipes offered by the book were one with cheese and the other with a pork and beef filling. We chose the arepas de queso as we were making several for guests and it would be easier than stuffing the dough.
A point of interest brought up by the book was the different cornmeals used for making arepas. The book specifically mentions that one should use masarepa (another type of cornflour) instead of the masa harina we used for Colombia. A discussion of the differences in uses and preparations can be found here. Masarepa can be purchased at stores selling Goya products.

Basic Arepa Dough

• 1 cup masarepa
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ cups hot water

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl
2. Add water and mix until you have a soft dough
3. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.
4. Knead for an additional 3 minutes until it is smooth.
5. Add and little more water and continue kneading if the dough is too dry.

Arepas de Queso

• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 oz chihuahua or mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Knead the dough with the egg yolk, butter, and cheese.
2. Shape into disks 4 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick.
3. Grease a skillet or pan with oil and bring to a medium heat.
4. Slowly cook on both sides until a crust forms flipping them several times.
5. Transfer the arepas to an ungreased baking sheet and bake for at 350 for 15 minutes.
6. A hollow sound when tapped means they are done. Serve with butter, cream cheese, or goat cheese.

Results and Discussion
These arepas are quite good. The outside is crispy and the inside is similar to grits. The cheese and butter keep the inside moist while giving a good color on the outside. The slightly sour taste of the goat cheese goes very nicely and provides a contrast of texture.
The major difference between Venezuela and Colombia was amount of moisture in the finished arepas. The Colombian version was a bit drier on the inside and not quite a creamy.