For over a week, my home has been in a heightened state of readiness.

Of waiting. Of antici…

pation.

And then, last Saturday, I undertook a grand working.

I made arepas.

What are arepas? you might ask, and you would be one who does not know the glory of Venezuelan/Colombian (also seen elsewhere) ground maize cakes of nom, into which one stuffs delicious things.

I first had arepas at Caracas, a Venezuelan restaurant in the East Village in NYC. They also have a Brooklyn location, which is mostly the same except for their Rum Bar (!).

Arepas are great because like all good food-delivery foods, the arepa itself is delicious, as is the contents.

Thanks to a tip from Tobias Buckell, I found the right base materials:

and so began #ArepaWatch

Once the dough had been smooshed down into cooking shape, it was time to get cooking:

Once they get cooking, they look like:

And when they’re fried, you toss them in the oven for a bit more love to cook them all the way through (if one is making the thicker Venezuelan varietal, which I was.)

When they’re all cooked, you cut them open and add the delicious filling. I went with pulled pork, black beans, cheese, and fried plantains.

The result?

THIS WAS A TRIUMPH. I’M MAKING A NOTE HERE:

HUGE SUCCESS.