Arepas filled with Black Beans Sofrito and Queso Fresco

Two of my daughter's best friends from college are of South American descent, Argentina and Venezuela. My daughter was lucky that her roommates cooked (she did not as much). She got introduced to food from their culture, that she passed on to me. Living with us during the pandemic, my daughter sometimes cooks on weekends. She offered to make a Venezuelan dish called Arepa for dinner last night. Arepa is like a thick tortilla made of ground maize dough and filled with meat, beans or cheese. Arepa originates from the northern regions of South America and is part of the cuisines of Colombia and Venezuela. Yucca or cassava can also be used to make Arepas. Last night my daughter made them from white corn meal and filled them with black beans sofrito and queso fresco ( fresh Mexican crumbling cheese).

Ingredients for arepa:
2 1/2 Cups water
2 Cups P.A.N (precooked white corn meal)
1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for filling:
2 Cups dry black beans, soaked in water for 8 hours
6 quarts water
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon oil
2 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoons paprika ( adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorn
1/2 Cup crumbled queso fresco

Method:
1. Rinse and drain soaked black beans. Cook in 6 quarts of water with bay leaf until soft. You can also pressure cook beans until soft. Allow to cool.
2. Place onion, red pepper, garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt in a blender and blend it to a coarse mixture, adding a little water if required. This is the sofrito.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Cook sofrito until raw smell of onion leaves. Check for salt and spice and add if required.

4. Remove the bay leaf from the black beans. Drain the water and stir it into the saucepan with sofrito. Add a little water and cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Remove from stove. Set aside.

Arepa:

1. Take 2 1/2 cups of water in a large bowl. Add salt to it and mix until it dissolves. Gradually add 2 cups of maize to water and mix.

2. Knead to a soft non-sticky dough. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.

3. Divide dough into 8 portions. Make a ball of each portion and pat to form a thick round cake.

4. Place arepa on a hot griddle or frying pan. Cook 6-8 minutes without touching, until golden brown. Turn over and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Repeat process to cook remaining arepas.

5. To serve: Make a slit to open the arepa to make a pocket. Be careful not to cut it in half.

6. Fill arepa with 1/4 cup of black beans and  1 tablespoon queso fresco. You can heat it in the oven for a couple minutes before serving. Guacamole would be a great accompaniment to this dish.

Note: You can use canned black beans and canned sofrito. Just rinse and drain the beans. Cook with sofrito for 5 minutes.