Arepas de pernil

Arepas de pernil For the pernil:

1) In a blender, combine the Worcestershire, guava paste, peppercorns, ginger, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves, oregano, and garlic. Transfer the marinade to a Dutch oven or other large pot; stir in the malt beverage. Add the pork; cover and refrigerate 24 hours. For the mango sauce:

1) Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add the garlic and jalapeno. Fry until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and jalapeno; transfer to a blender. Add the mango puree, olive oil, coriander and papelon; blend until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

When pork is ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Bake until the meat shreds easily with a fork, about 4 hours. Shred the pork; reserve about 225 g pork and freeze the remainder for another use. For the arepas:

1) Before serving, place 570 ml water in a medium bowl with 1 tsp salt and oil; slowly pour the cornmeal into the water. Knead together the cornmeal and water until blended and smooth. With wet hands, divide the dough into 6 even portions. Roll each dough portion into a ball; pat it into a 7 1/2 - 10 cm disk, about 1 cm thick.

Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat; add the arepas. Cook the arepas until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 10 minutes. Transfer the browned arepas to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

To serve, partially split the hot arepas (not all the way around); remove some dough to make room for your filling. Fill the arepas with warmed pulled pork, 3 tomato slices, and a dollop of mango sauce. Serve immediately.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.