Beef And Black Bean Arepas Recipes

VENEZUELAN SHREDDED BEEF

Steps:

• Cut the meat into 4 pieces.
• Place beef broth in a large pot over medium-high heat. At first boil, add the meat and cook for 15 minutes. Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and let it cook for about 2 - 3 hours, or until the meat is fully cooked and tender. As the meat cooks, check the broth levels and add more if needed (the broth should always cover meat).
• When the meat is tender and fully cooked, carefully removed it from the pot, place it on a plate, and let it cool. Reserve broth (about 3-4 cups).
• Once the meat is cool enough, sheared using two forks or your hands, remove and discard big pieces of fat, if any.
• Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and pepper and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Then add garlic and let it cook for 1 more minute.
• Stir in shredded beef and mix to combine well.
• In a medium bowl, combine tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, and reserved beef broth; mix well until everything is well combined. Add this mixture to the meat. Add the bay leaves, cover, and cook for 20 -25 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been consumed. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper, if necessary.
• Serve hot with white rice, black beans, and fried plantains if desired.
• Cut the meat into 4 pieces. Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. Add beef to a slow cooker.
• Combine ½ cup beef broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and dried oregano in a mixing bowl. Add mixture to the slow cooker.
• Add onion, peppers, garlic, and bay leaves. Mix to combine.
• Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
• When the time is over, and the meat is tender, remove meat for the slow cooker. Once the meat is cool enough, sheared using two forks or your hands, remove and discard big pieces of fat, if any. and toss to coat with the juices
• Return shredded meat to the cooker and toss to coat with the sauce. Discard bay leaves.
• Serve hot with white rice, black beans, and fried plantains if desired.
• For pressure cooker instructions, check out my Instant Pot Venezuelan Shredded Beef recipe.

AREPA FILLED WITH SHREDDED BEEF, BLACK BEANS, FRIED PLANTAIN & WHITE CHEESE

Steps:

• For the shredded beef: 1. Cook beef with vegetables and water in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Reserve a cup of broth and shred beef finely. Set aside. 2. Sauté the onion, pepper, tomato and sweet chili pepper in hot oil in the same pot. 3. Add Worcestershire sauce, cumin, garlic, tomato paste, broth, salt and pepper to taste. 4. Add shredded beef. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat or until the liquid evaporates. For the black beans: 1. Pour oil in a pressure cooker and sauté bacon, onion, pepper, sweet chili pepper and garlic for 5 minutes. Add cumin powder and cilantro leaves. 2. Drain water from the beans and add them to the sautéed vegetables. 3. Pour 4 cups of water and cook the beans with vegetables for 20-30 minutes. Release steam and remove the lid very carefully. Cook for 10 more minutes, without the lid until the liquid evaporates. For the plantain and cheese: 1. Deep-fry plantain slices until golden brown and drain over paper towels. 2. Fill each arepa with a portion of shredded beef, black beans, two fried plantain slices and grated white cheese.

AREMPAS PABELLóN AREPA

Steps:

• For the Shredded Beef: Cut the beef into small pieces. Add to a large pot along with the green onions and garlic. Add enough water to cover the beef. Bring to a boil, lower to a high simmer and cook until the beef is tender, about 3 hours. (Add more water as needed.)
• Once tender, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and drain the beef, discard the green onion and garlic. Shred the beef and add back to the pot. Add the Sofrito (see recipe below), sazon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, cilantro and the reserved 1 cup of cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set the beef aside.
• For the Plantains: Add enough oil to a large saucepan so it comes up about halfway up the side. Attach a deep fat-fry thermometer and bring to 350 degrees F. Peel the plantain and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices on the diagonal. Fry batches in the hot oil until golden brown turning as needed, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• For the Beans: Add the beans, sofrito (see recipe below), garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sazon, salt and cilantro to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, enough for the beans to heat and the flavors to meld, about 6 minutes.
• For the Dough: Follow the package instructions on the bag of precooked cornmeal to make enough dough for 6 arepas (see Cook's Note).
• To shape the arepas, grab a portion of dough big enough to fit in your hand and roll it into a ball. Begin to flatten it like the shape and size of a hamburger patty.
• Add enough oil to a large skillet to just coat the bottom. Heat over medium-high. Add as many arepas as you can to skillet without overcrowding. Cook until golden, 5 minutes per side. Repeat if needed.
• Build the arepas: Insert a small, sharp knife into the edge of an arepa and work it slowly to open up a pocket. Once opened, stuff with some shredded beef, then some plantains, then some beans and finally cheese at the very top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Take a big bite and enjoy! This is going to be messy but sooo delicious.
• Finely chop the green onions, garlic, yellow onion and pepper together. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent. Cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

BEEF AND BLACK BEAN AREPAS

Steps:

• Mix the Masarepa with water according to the directions on the packaging. Each brand has slightly different ratios. Tips for finding Masarepa: Look with the Spanish or Mexican food. I have found it at many major grocery chains. There are a few different brands, but make sure it says Precocida or pre-cooked corn meal.
• Make thin rounds out of the dough, about 1/3 inch thick. Cook in a dry cast iron skillet on medium/high until it is browned on both sides. Split with a fork, keeping half of the edge intact, making a pocket.
• Meanwhile, cut the onions, peppers, garlic and chiles. Remove the seeds from the chiles if you dont want it to be as spicy.
• Brown the ground beef and drain most of the oil. Remove from the pan and set aside. Cook the onions and peppers in some oil. Salt. When they start to brown, add the garlic and chiles. Add in the cooked beef and stir to coat everything. Next add the spices followed by the tomatoes and hot sauce. Rinse the beans and add. Simmer for 15 minutes to get the flavors all blended.
• Fill the Arepas with the beef and bean filling and add some crumbled queso. Serve!