A few weeks ago, my dear friend Angie invited me and Hector over to make hallacas, a traditional Venezuelan dish that is popular during Christmas time.

Hallacas are kind of like Mexican tamales, but different in many ways. One of my favorite aspects of food and recipes is that you can learn so much about a culture and family through their food and recipes.

My goal on Thyme & Love is to share my families recipes, along with recipes that I pick up from my travels.

I was eager to learn how to learn traditional Venezuelan Hallacas; of course I had to make a vegetarian filling to stuff them.

Besides the filling, the dough and how they are assembled are exactly how Angie does it with her traditional recipe. The filling base is referred to as a guiso, which is a thick stew-like sauce. It is both sweet and tangy, creating a filling with layers of flavor.

I made the filling the next day before our hallaca cooking lesson and when I brought it over, Angie and her Mom couldn't get over how close the flavor profile was to the original! Angie's Mom said this would make a perfect filling for arepas and I just knew that I had to recreate it a Mushroom Arepa recipe for you!

I have shared my  Avocado + Chickpea Arepas and Poblano and Cheese Arepas recipes on the blog and they are two of most popular recipes.

Arepas are a traditional corn based bread that is served as the daily bread in Venezuela. It is made from cornmeal water, and salt. The dough is formed into patties than cooked.

Arepas can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are also naturally gluten-free, which makes a great alternative to bread if you can't eat gluten.

The mushroom filling is easy to make and packed full of flavor. It starts off with sautéing some mushrooms. Mushrooms make a great vegetarian option when looking to replace meat in recipes. The have an earthy quality that holds up nicely against the sweet and tangy flavors of this guiso.

Red wine adds depth of flavor and a tough of sweetness. Red wine vinegar adds the tangy element that we are looking for.

These Mushroom Arepas are best served right after the arepas are done cooking.

The mushroom filling can be made ahead of time. Simply reheat it when you are ready to serve with the arepas. You only want to cut about ¾ of the way through the arepa.

You will create a pocket the holds the filling inside. Arepas are best ate with your hands and they can get a little messy! They are delicious served without any garnishes, but you could also serves these with ripe avocado slices, chopped cilantro, or maybe some green onions would be a nice touch.

These Mushroom Arepas would be a delicious savory brunch option or served for dinner.
They are sweet and tangy,
Naturally gluten-free &
Filling and comforting.

I hope you enjoy these Mushroom Arepas as much as my family did. If you make this recipe, we'd love to see your photos on Instagram using #thymeandlove.

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Mushroom Arepas

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Earthy mushrooms create the base for a sweet and tangy vegetarian filling for traditional Venezuelan arepas. The filling can be made ahead of time; the arepas are best served right away.

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Ingredients

Mushroom Filling:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 1 lb. Cremini Mushrooms, cleaned, steams removed and sliced
• 1 Large Leek, cleaned and diced {white & light green parts only}
• 4 Green Onions, sliced {white & light green parts only}
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced small
• 2 Medium Carrots, diced small
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ½ Cup Red Wine
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 Medium Tomatoes, seeded and diced small
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
• ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¼ Cup Cilantro, chopped

For Arepas

• 2 Cups P.A.N Harina
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 ¼ Cups Warm Water
• And additional ½ Cup water if needed
• Vegetable Oil

Instructions

For Mushroom Filling:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, deep sided skillet or dutch oven oven medium heat. Add the mushroom and cook 8-10 minutes, until the start to brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced leek, green onions, green bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. Stir and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Add the red wine and deglaze the vegetables. Add the red wine vinegar, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another 10-12 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or vitamix and pulse 8-10 times. You don't want to puree the mixture. You are looking for a chunky texture. Transfer back to the pan and add the mushrooms and cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and add any more salt and pepper to taste. For more tang, add a touch more vinegar. Set aside until serving with the arepas.

For the arepas:

1. In a mixing bowl, add the P.A.N. Harina and salt. Mix together. Stir in the warm water and knead the dough with your hands until it comes together. You want the dough to be really moist. If it starts to crack, add in a little of the additional water as needed. Squeeze out any lumps that might have formed in the dough. If the dough is too moist, add in a tiny bit of more flour. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
2. Divided the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a ball. Then form the dough ball into a patty that is apart 3 to 4 inches in diameter by using the palms of your hands. If the dough is drying out and cracking when you roll it, add a little warm water to your hands before forming the disks.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Lightly oil a large skillet over medium heat. Let the skillet get hot before adding the arepa dough. In batches, add the formed arepas disks to the skillet. Cook each arepa about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until they start to get light brown spots. Transfer to the baking sheet.
5. Once all the arepas have been browned in the skillet and transfered to the baking sheet, place in the oven and cook for 14-18 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. They will finishing cooking in the oven. When they are done, the outer part will sound hard and hallow when tapped with your hand. They should also be a nice golden brown color. Remove from the oven.
6. Let cool a few minutes before handling. Carefully slice the arepas ¾ way through, creating a pocket. Fill them with the mushroom filling. Serve right away!

Did you make this recipe?

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