Recipe 1 ~ Chicken Tamarillo Arepa

I'm starting my trek across this great nation of ours via Guy Fieri's 2nd book of Triple D restaurant recipes on the East Coast with Connecticut's Valencia Luncheria's Chicken Tamarillo Arepa.  First off I have to say that I am a total NON-FOODIE and in all honesty probably will never be one.  That being said I do have a new found passion for cooking brought about by becoming the primary cook while David devotes much of his home time to fun outdoor projects.  The tables are now turned after 4+ years of being spoiled by David's cooking.


Back to the Chicken Tamarillo Arepa.  It seems to be a version of what I've come to adore, the Native American Indian Taco.  Amazingly basic short list of ingredients which are easy to find in your typical grocery store if you don't already have it in your pantry.  Easy to follow short list of instructions.  Hardly any prep time and cook time for what might be considered "EXOTIC" fair (or is it fare?).  The end result is an extremely tasty, satisfying, and relatively healthy dish that will leave you asking for seconds. 


Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 4 
Explanation:  There are two things that I would do differently.  First I would cut the portion of Pureed Chipotle by 1/2.  The heat from the Chipotle overpowers the subtleness of the herbs.  Second, the Arepa dough needs about 1/4 cup of flower otherwise the consistency of the dough is too crumbly and next to impossible to hold it's form when frying.  The restauranteur must be a magician to get the arepa to keep it's shape.  So, in my humble opinion this falls between a 2 and 3 stars.