Guacuco is the name of a beach, and the restaurant certainly has a laid-back beach feel. Molina and his wife live in Ridgewood Queens but are serving up handmade arepas and other classic Venezuelan dishes, like made-to-order empanadas and coconut milk shakes, in neighboring Bushwick.
Check out the restaurant online at www.areperaguacuco.com.
Basic recipe for making arepas
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of water 1 Tbsp. salt 2 cups of white P.A.N. corn meal
Steps
1. Pour 2 1/2 cups of water in a large bowl.
2. Add a tablespoon of salt.
3. Slowly pour in 2 cups of white P.A.N. corn meal.
4. Knead until the dough is smooth and uniform.
5. Use hands to shape 15 round arepas, first forming a ball and then patting it until it's about a half inch thick.
6. Heat a small amount of oil on a griddle or large frying pan at medium heat.
7. Place arepas on griddle and let cook for 5 minutes on each side until browned.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and then place the browned arepas inside.
9. Cook in over for 5-10 minutes, until exterior is rigid and crunchy.
Extract the arepas from the oven, and they are ready to be sliced open and stuffed with the ingredients of your choice!
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