Culinary Clauds

I spent New Years weekend making, eating and perfecting my arepas and this past weekend was no different. Except, this time around I decided to make a Cuban version of the traditional Venezuelan Arepa Pabellon.  Typically, a Pabellon dish consists of shredded beef, black beans, rice, and sweet plantains. For this stuffed arepa version, I’ve substituted the shredded beef for my Cuban picadillo, added cheese and some extra zing with the garlicky avocado crema.

 

 

Ingredients

 

For the Picadillo:

• ½ cup whole green olives, stuffed w/ pimentos
• ½ bell pepper, diced (I used red and yellow)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 16 ounces of tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp Sazón Goya
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tblsp ground cumin
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 2 Tblsp of olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 tsp. Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin
• 1 bay leaf

 

For the Black Beans:

• ½ bell pepper, finely diced (I used green)
• 1 15oz can organic black beans
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tblsp tomato paste
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 Tbsp oregano
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 2 bay leaves

 

For the Arepas:

• 2 Cups Masa Arepa (Pan or GOYA brand, pre-cooked corn flour)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 Cups warm water
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

 

For the Avocado Crema:

• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 ripe Haas avocado
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove

 

 

 

 

Preparation

 

For the Picadillo:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and green pepper and bay leaf until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes
2. Add the ground beef and brown over medium heat until it is completely browned and no pink bits remain.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking on medium heat until meat is tender and completely cooked through. About 25 minutes. Keep warm.

 

 

For the Black Beans:

 

 

 

For the Avocado Crema:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, adjust salt and paper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use so the flavors have time to develop, minimum 30 minutes.

 

 

For the Arepas:

1. Place the water and salt in a large bowl, mix to dissolve the salt. Slowly, add the masa arepa to the salt water, continuously mixing as you add (I found it was far easier to do this part by hand to make sure there were no clumps in the masa).
2. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 10 min. After resting, add 1/2 Tbsp of oil and incorporate into the dough, repeat with additional 1/2 Tbsp of oil. If the dough seems too dry to hold together well and 1 Tblsp of water. Divide the dough into 4 roughly even pieces and shape each piece into a 1-inch disc (roughly 5 inches in diameter). Since we will be filling these, we want them to be a bit thicker.
3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet with a little canola oil and add the arepas. Cook the arepas for 4 minutes on each side, to seal the dough. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the arepas for 6-8 minutes per side, until golden brown and lightly charred, reducing the heat of your skillet as necessary. Remove the arepas from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Split them in half, nearly all the way with a knife. Stuff and serve warm topped with Avocado crema and cheese.