Sloppy Juans

What do you get when you take Mexican food ingredients (beans, onions, corn, salsa verde, etc.) and put them on corn buns (arepas)? Mexican Sloppy Joes, or as I like to call them, Sloppy Juans.

The filling inspiration came from a couple different recipes from THIS blog, and the Arepas came from Erin and My Aspergers Girl.

Ingredients

Arepas:

• 2 15oz cans Hominy, drained
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Water, plus more as needed
• 1 cup Masa, plus more if needed
• 3 Green Onions (white and pale green parts only), minced

Filling:

• 1 lg Onion, diced
  
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 can Black Beans, drained
  
• 1 cup Frozen Corn
• 1/2 cup Salsa Verde
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 lg Avocado, sliced
  

Directions
Arepas -

Puree the Hominy, Olive Oil, Salt & Water together in a blender/food processor until the hominy looks smooth and creamy. Scrape into a bowl. Add the Masa and mix well. Mix in the Green Onions.

Take a scoop of dough and form it into a ball about the size of your palm. Flatten the ball into a circle about 1/2 inch thick and smooth the edges. If the dough is too dry, it will crack around the edges. If it is too wet, it will stick all over your hands. Add a little more water or masa as necessary. After the dough is flattened, it should stick to your hand upside down for just a couple of seconds.

Oil a hot griddle, preferably cast iron, lightly and preheat the oven to 350. Place the arepas on the griddle. Cook until a light brown crust forms on the bottom, about 5 - 7 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until a crust forms. Don't scorch them, and don't get impatient - the insides need to cook too.

Transfer the arepas to a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes. Tap them - when done they should sound hollow. Cool slightly.

While the Arepas are baking, prepare the Filling -

Saute the Onion and Garlic in a bit of Oil until translucent. Add the remaining Ingredients, except the Avocado, mix well, and heat through. Simmer on a low setting until the majority of the liquid is gone.

Assembly -

When the Arepas are cool enough to handle, take a sharp knife, insert it about 1/2 inch into the crusty edge and run it all the way around. The arepa will fall open to reveal a slightly doughy inside. Fill the Arepas with black bean mixture and avocado slices. Enjoy.

Verdict
The Arepas are very tasty and a major improvement over the ones I used to make, but my final verdict on this dish will have to wait until I can make it one more time. You see, I forgot one very simple but very important rule when making this dish - check to make sure the shaker top is on the chili powder before shaking some into the pan. I tried to get rid of as much of it as possible, but the whole thing still ended up tasting like chili powder and nothing else. Also, the arepas are not quite sturdy enough to pick up while filled, so we ended up with open face Sloppy Juans. We'll try again another day and see how it goes.