@pandamama your filling sounds very delicious. I think you just got a bit off track with the arepa dough. It is important to use arepa flour, which is pre-cooked cornmeal flour. This is different than tortilla flour (masa harina) which is raw cornmeal that is treated with lime. Here is a link to arepa flour.
https://www.amazon.com/P-N-Harina-Blanca-Pre-cooked/dp/B004TDAPYU
Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where you can not substitute another flour. I hope you can track this product down in Cyprus. If you find it you will see that it is very easy to work with. And the end product will also, taste even better! It is all about the corn flavor of the dough. Good luck in SIC!