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A specialty of Venezuelan and Colombian cuisines, arepas are flat, round cornbreads, traditionally topped or filled with delicious ingredients. In this recipe, we’re making our own dough with masarepa (a type of corn flour), water and salt, then shaping it by hand­—all in just a few minutes. For a delightfully zesty twist, we’re seasoning our ground beef (or “carne molida”) with a complex blend of Mexican spices, balanced perfectly by creamy avocado, crunchy radishes and red onion quickly pickled with sugar and vinegar.

Ethan Mick

with Pickled Onion, Avocado & Radishes

Beef Arepas

Ground Beef

Masarepa

Radishes

Avocado

Red Onion

Sugar

Red Wine Vinegar

Carne Molida Spice Blend (Ancho Chile Powder, Chipotle Powder, Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Dried Mexican Oregano, Cocoa Powder, Ground Nutmeg & Cornstarch)

Ingredients

Wash and dry the fresh produce. [Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion.](#) [Pit, peel and thinly slice the avocado.](#) Cut off and discard the ends of the radishes; thinly slice the radishes into rounds.

Prepare the ingredients:

In a small pan, combine the **sugar**, **vinegar** and **half the onion**; heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onion has softened and the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes.

Pickle the onion:

While the onion pickles, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **ground beef**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Brown the beef:

To the pan of beef, add the **remaining onion** and **as much of the spice blend as you’d like**, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the onion has softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

Add the aromatics:

In a large bowl, combine the **masarepa**, **a big pinch of salt** and ½ **cup of lukewarm water**. Stir until just combined. (The dough should be moist and easy to shape. If the dough seems dry, add up to ¼ cup of water.) Using wet hands, divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls; on a clean, dry work surface, carefully flatten into ¼-inch-thick rounds.

Form the arepas:

In the pan used to cook the beef, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **arepas** and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Divide the cooked arepas between 2 dishes and top with the **cooked beef**. Season the **avocado** with salt and pepper. Garnish the arepas with the seasoned avocado, **radishes** and as much of the **pickled onion** as you’d like (draining just before adding). Enjoy!