Arepas Stuffed with Cheese

Arepas stuffed with cheese are a staple of the New York Street fair scene. I first learned about these cheese-filled disks of goodness while living in New York and working on Broadway. Every weekend somewhere in Midtown, a street was closed, and various vendors would set up their things in makeshift tents for that week’s street fair. I would go to the street fairs between shows and have something to eat. There was everything from banana and Nutella crepes to Pad Thai or perogies like you have never eaten before. Street fairs in New York are a melting pot of the world’s food.

One of the things that was always there was several booths selling Mozzarepas. These booths had simple round corn cakes sizzling on big stainless-steel grills. I didn’t understand the appeal at first for something that looked so simple and plain. But I kept seeing many people walking around eagerly munching on these corn disks. So one day, I finally got the chance to buy one, took one bite, and had one of those life-changing moments where you can hear angels singing. How could something so simple be so delicious? The crisp corn exterior was perfect, with the simple mozzarella filling that stretched out as you took a bite. These Mozzarepas are the perfect street food.

For the next year or so, during the summer street fair season, I was out on the hunt for wherever the next street fair was, and the Mozzarepas booth was my first stop. I finally had to quit, as my ever-expanding waistline was telling me to. But I will never forget my first bite of a hot melty Mozzarepa. There is nothing like those fabulous arepas stuffed with cheese here in Colorado. So, of course, I had to learn to make them myself. It turns out they are not hard to make at all. And there is a fascinating history to Mozzarepas too.

Colombians Luis and Flor Leon paid nearly $1,000 cash to the one and only John Gotti, the infamous mobster of the Gambino crime family. This granted them the privilege of selling Arepas stuffed with cheese, now known to New Yorkers as Mozzarepas, at the Feast of San Gennaro festival in Little Italy, a famous street fair during September in lower Manhattan. Arepas, or corn cakes, are a staple in Columbian cooking. They serve them as Mexicans might tortillas, almost eating them daily, quite often for breakfast with a coffee or espresso. You can find them stuffed with everything from stewed meat to avocados and beans, but the most famous is stuffed with cheese. The Leons had originally stuffed the arepas with more traditional queso fresco. But one day, they were delivered mozzarella by mistake. They tried the cheese in their recipe, and it was a marriage made in Heaven. And Mozzarepas were born. They have trademarked the name and now make more than 7,000 cheese-filled disks of goodness every day.

Making Arepas stuffed with cheese is easy and requires only a few ingredients. However, the precooked corn flour specifically made for arepas is the hardest to find. Still, it is becoming more common in stores and easily found on Amazon. It is very cheap, too, which makes them an excellent budget meal. It is easier to make arepas using a tortilla press with a sheet of plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking. But you can also use a rolling pin or even your hands.

Ok, that is all for this week. I hope you make these arepas stuffed with cheese. They are so simple and delicious. It is fun to try a food from Columbia that has taken the New York Street Fair scene in your own home. Please think of others in your choices. We all need to get through this crazy world together. Until next time!