Panama Breakfast

I think the official name for this recipe would have to be something like, "Arepas con queso y frijoles negros." But Tim and I just call them "arepas" in the way that you would call pancakes "pancakes" no matter what you put on them.

There are 2 disclaimers for this recipe:

1. I made it up. It's not based on anything Panamanians eat. In fact, I fed it to Panamanians and they were like, "this is weird, but good; who taught you this?"
2. Arepas are thick Colombian tortillas, which are available in grocery stores here and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully can be found back home too. If not, there are a number of homemade-arepa recipes online, but that sort of defeats the purpose of how convenient this recipe is for breakfast.

This is going to be a Pioneer Woman-style post, but probably without her heaps of charm.

Here's what you need. Chili powder, Oaxaca cheese, black beans, arepas, a lime, garlic cloves, and butter, salt and cumin, which are not pictured.

Get the black beans cooking first. They don't take long to heat up, but the longer they sit, they better they taste. Smash about three cloves of garlic and peel the skin off, but don't dice them up. This imparts the flavor into the beans without overpowering everything. This is breakfast we're talking about here.

Dump the can of beans, liquid and all, into a small pot and add a dash each of cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt, as well as the smashed garlic. Set this to cook over medium low heat. These also make a good side dish, or a good taco-topping, or they go really well over rice. To quote PDubs, "the possibilities are endless!"

Anyway.

While the beans are cooking, slice enough cheese for however many arepas you are making. This should be enough to coat each one in a single layer. A vegetable peeler is perfect for this job because it allows you to slice the cheese thinly and uniformly. You really don't want thick or grated cheese for this.

BTW: you should be able to find Oaxaca cheese, which is a very mild white cheese, in your grocery store. If you can't, block (as opposed to "fresh") mozzarella is similar.

Once you have enough cheese, heat your non-stick skillet (or wok, in my case), to medium and throw in The Magic Maker, er, a tablespoon of butter. While that melts, microwave the arepa for 30 seconds. This is key for softening it up a little.

Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum.

Fry the arepa briefly on both sides, adding more butter to the skillet if necessary (you know it's always necessary).
When the arepa is done, flip it onto the serving plate hot-side-up. This helps the cheese get nice and melty-tastic. Lay the cheese in a single layer over the entire surface of the hot arepa.

By this point the beans should be delicious and bubbly. Using a slotted spoon, or draining the liquid against the side of the pan, spoon the beans over the top of the cheese. Here is where the joy and the mystery collide and things start to melt together in a perfect marriage of "amazing."

Too much? Sorry.

But wait! It's not done without the secret ingredients. Squeeze a fresh lime over the top, being sensitive to the citrus addictions or aversions of your guests. I'm a half-a-lime kind of a girl, but Tim prefers the "distant acquaintances" lime/arepa relationship.

THEN--and don't forget this! Sprinkle cayenne pepper over the top, and salt over the top of that. The chili and salt bring out the lime in an amazing way, and the texture of the cheese and the beans on top of the crispy arepa is unexpectedly satisfying. Mmmmmm.

It doesn't look like much, but this is so flavorful. And melty.

And gone.