Description[]
Source: BOBBY FLAY'S THROWDOWN! - BOBBY FLAY, STEPHANIE BANYAS, and MIRIAM GARRON
Ingredients[]
- 1½ pounds eye of round
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium Spanish onion, finely diced
- 2 small red bell peppers, finely diced
- 6 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 ounces Panela, or ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces dried black beans
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 ounces Panela, or ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 3 ripe sweet plantains
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 6 cups precooked corn flour (found in the Latin markets)
- 6 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for cooking the arepas
- 2 cups crumbled white salty cheese, such as Venezuelan Queso de Año or Mexican Cotija
Directions[]
- To cook the beef, put it in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 3 hours, adding more water if needed to cover.
- Meanwhile, cook the black beans: Combine the beans with the onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, and Panela in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove the beef to a plate and let it cool slightly; reserve the cooking broth.
- Once it is cool enough to handle, shred the beef into bite-size pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the onion, red bell peppers, and jalapeños, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Panela and cook until the vegetables become slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Worcestershire and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and 2 cups of the reserved cooking broth.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 7 minutes.
- Add the butter and cook until melted.
- Add the beef and cook until just warmed through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If the mixture is a little too dry, add more of the reserved broth.
- To cook the plantains, heat a scant ¼ inch of oil in a deep skillet to 375°F.
- Slice the plantains on the diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices, and fry them, turning occasionally, until they are caramelized and dark brown, about 1½ minutes.
- Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- To make the arepas, preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Combine 7½ cups lukewarm water and the salt in a large bowl and stir until the salt dissolves.
- Add the flour slowly, and mix with your hands until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead until smooth.
- Shape into a ball and let rest for 3 minutes.
- Remove a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball; if the dough cracks slightly, add a little more water, continue kneading, and let rest again.
- Once you reach the perfect texture, add the oil and knead it into the dough for a couple of minutes until blended.
- Using wet hands, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form each piece into a ball.
- Form the balls into flat round cakes about 1-inch thick and 5 inches in diameter.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons oil on a griddle or in a large frying pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Fry 4 arepas at a time until golden brown on each side, about 7 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a baking sheet.
- When all of the arepas have been cooked, bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Season the beans with salt and pepper.
- Slice the arepas in half, and stuff them with the beans, beef, plantains, and cheese.
YIELD: MAKES 12 LARGE AREPAS