Food Network star Franco Noriega is putting a new twist on the classic Latin American dish arepas.
“I have many friends from Venezuela and Colombia, and every time I would go to their house, I was amazed at how versatile arepas are,” Noriega, 34, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “They eat them with eggs for breakfast in the mornings, as an appetizer for lunch and stuff them with many delicious fillings for dinner.”
The dish’s versatility inspired him to experiment with different ideas and flavors himself. “I love arepas when they are crunchy, so I normally make them bite-size and toast them for a longer period of time, so they are crispy at the first bite,” he notes. “I promise you will also fall in love with them!”
Experimenting with different cuisines is something Noriega has carried over to his new Food Network series, Hot Dish with Franco, which premiered on September 30. On the show, Noriega opens up about his Peruvian and Italian heritage while demonstrating quick and easy recipes featuring fun flavors.
“Delicious food has always been central in my life as some of my favorite memories have been in the kitchen eating and cooking with my family and traveling across the world enjoying fantastic meals,” Noriega said in a September Food Network statement. “Now, I’m thrilled to share my favorite recipes and lifelong passion for cooking with Food Network viewers.”
Noriega grew up in a family of restaurateurs and moved from Peru to NYC at the age of 18 to sharpen his cooking skills at The French Culinary Institute, according to his website. He opened his first restaurant, Baby Brasa, in 2016 and has gone on to open several more establishments, including Tivoli Trattoria and Fellini Coffee.
The model also has previous cooking show experience, having served as a guest judge on MasterChef México, MasterChef Celebrity México and MasterChef Junior México.
“My career has evolved over the last 10 years from being a model to a chef to being a restauranteur,” he said in a September interview with TV Insider. “I’m excited about what’s new and what’s coming. When the show came about, I was excited to take on the challenge. Hopefully, it will be the beginning of a couple more shows to come.”
Off the small screen, Noriega also shares his latest recipes with fans via social media, from pasta dishes to empanadas to lava chocolate chip cookies.
Keep scrolling to check out Noriega’s full arepas recipe:
Hot Dish with Franco airs on Food Network Saturdays at 12 p.m. ET.
Twist on Tradition
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 cup P.A.N. fine cornmeal
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt and pepper
- 4 oz Mexican chorizo, casing removed
- 4 oz Muenster cheese, grated
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
- ½ lime, juiced
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Add 1 ¼ cups of water to a large bowl. Stir in the fine cornmeal, olive oil, salt and pepper until smooth. Let the dough rest and hydrate, about 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of your spoon until it’s browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to one end of a baking sheet with a slotted spoon, leaving any rendered fat behind. Add the chorizo to the oven to stay warm.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Divide the dough into 16 little balls. Take the dough balls one at a time and use your hands to flatten them into ½-inch-thick discs about 1 ½ inches in diameter. As you finish each disc, add it to the hot pan, being careful not to overcrowd. You’ll definitely need to do this in batches.
5. Once the arepas are browned on both sides, add a little bit of cheese to the top of the arepas. Cover to melt. Transfer all the finished arepas to the same baking sheet as the chorizo and return to the oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with remaining dough and cheese.
6. Mix the mayonnaise with the chipotle sauce and lime juice until combined and mix with the chorizo. Top each arepa with mayo chorizo, avocado and cilantro. Serve immediately.
