Chile Verde Arepas

I’ve been feeling creative in the kitchen lately, so I’m combining one of my favorite stews – chile verde – with freshly made arepas for a truly unique (and super tasty) chile verde arepas!

One of the first meals I ever made was chile verde.  That was almost 14 years ago, and I have been learning how to make new meals every since, but chile verde has always been one of my favorite dishes.

Chile verde is usually a stew, and I make it with pork, green chile and a blend of spices, but I have found when I reduce it down with a slurry, it creates a phenomenal sandwich filling!  

And speaking of sandwiches, I recently learned about arepas, a flatbread made with ground cornmeal. They’re quick and easy to make, and they’re so versatile, your family will love them!  I am seriously obsessed with them. 

I thought arepas filled with my chile verde mixture would be a tasty combo, and it certainly is! The chile verde filling makes a wonderful complement to freshly-made arepas, especially when you top them with some colby-jack cheese.  If you love Mexican food, you will absolutely love this. 

Chile Verde Arepas

• 3 – 4 lb pork roast
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup diced green chiles
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups pre-cooked cornmeal 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• shredded colby-jack cheese

To make the chile verde

Combine pork roast, chicken broth, cumin and garlic in a crock-pot, and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, until cooked through and tender.  Use a fork to shred the pork, and transfer the pork and 2 cups of the broth to a pot.

Warm roast over medium heat, add in cherry tomatoes and green chile, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes soften.  

Combine 1 tbsp of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water, and whisk.  Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the roast, and stir.  You will see the chile verde mixture thicken up within a minute.  Add more cornstarch/water mixture to thicken it, if necessary.

To make the arepas  

Add 2.5 cups of water to a large bowl.  Slowly add in 2 cups of cornmeal, stirring well to form a dough.  Season with a teaspoon of salt.  Knead for 3 minutes.  Divide the dough into 10 equal sizes.  

Warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Roll one of the arepa dough into a ball, and then flatten into a round disc with your hand, making it about 1/2″ thick.  Repeat with remaining arepa dough, and place half of them into the pan.  Cover and allow them to cook for 6 – 8 minute or until golden brown.  Remove the cover, flip the areaps, replace the cover and cook on the other side for 6 – 8 minutes.  

Once the arepas are cooked, cut in half, spoon in the chile verde mixture, top with cheese, and enjoy!