Pabellón criollo

Ingredients

Carne mechada

• 1.2 kgbeef flank or skirt (falda), in two pieces
• 2 litreswater
• 1onion, halved, 1 carrot, 2 bay leaves, for the broth
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• 2onions, finely sliced
• 1red pepper and 1 green pepper, in strips
• 6garlic cloves, minced
• 400 gtomatoes, grated, or tinned chopped
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground annatto (onoto)
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• Salt and black pepper

Caraotas negras

• 500 gblack beans, soaked overnight
• 1onion, 1 green pepper, 4 garlic cloves, all finely diced
• 2 tbspoil
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tbsppapelon or brown sugar
• Salt

Rice and plantains

• 500 glong grain white rice
• 1 litrewater
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbspoil, 1 tsp salt
• 3very ripe plantains, black-skinned, sliced 1.5 cm on the diagonal
• Oil, for frying

To serve

• 200 gqueso blanco rallado, grated, optional
• 1fried egg per person, for pabellon a caballo

Directions

1. Simmer the beef with the onion, carrot and bay in the water for 1.5–2 hours until it shreds under a fork. Cool it in its broth, then shred it along the grain into fine threads with your fingers, not a knife.
2. Cook the beans in fresh unsalted water for 1–1.5 hours until tender. Salt added early toughens the skins, so season only once they are soft.
3. Fry the diced onion, pepper and garlic in the oil for 10 minutes, add the cumin, then stir this sofrito into the beans with the papelon and salt and simmer 20 minutes until thick and glossy.
4. For the beef, fry the sliced onion, peppers and garlic in the oil for 8 minutes, add the cumin and annatto, then the grated tomato, and cook 10 minutes until the mixture darkens and the oil separates.
5. Add the shredded beef and 300 ml of its broth with the Worcestershire, and simmer 20–25 minutes until the liquid is almost gone and the strands are stained deep red and glistening.
6. Rinse the rice, fry it in the oil with the garlic for 1 minute, add the water and salt, boil hard 5 minutes uncovered, then cover and steam on the lowest heat 15 minutes and rest 5 minutes off the heat.
7. Fry the plantain slices in 1 cm of hot oil over medium heat for 2–3 minutes a side until the edges caramelise to deep brown and the centres are soft and sweet. Use plantains with black skins; yellow ones are starchy and will not sweeten.
8. Drain the tajadas on a rack and salt very lightly.
9. Plate as a flag, which is what the name means: a mound of white rice, the black beans beside it, the red-brown shredded beef next, and the fried plantains fanned along the edge. Crown with a fried egg for pabellon a caballo.

Technique

• The components are cooked separately and never stirred together. The visual arrangement of the four elements on the plate is the dish.
• Shred the beef with the grain into long fine threads. Chopped or pulled-apart beef gives the wrong texture and will not take on the sofrito properly.
• Boiling the beef and then stewing the shreds in their own broth is what makes carne mechada juicy; searing a whole piece and shredding it later leaves it dry.

Substitutions

• No flank? Beef skirt, brisket or chuck all shred well, though brisket needs a full 3 hours.
• Very ripe plantains are essential. If you can only find yellow ones, leave them in a warm place for 3–5 days until the skins go black.

Variations

• Pabellon a caballo, topped with a fried egg.
• Pabellon con baranda, with the plantains stood on edge around the plate like a fence.
• Pabellon margariteno, made on Margarita island with shredded cazon (dogfish) instead of beef.

History

Shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantain served side by side; the layered colours are read as a flag, and it is the national plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pabellón criollo?

Pabellón criollo is a main from Venezuela: shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantains; national plate. Shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantain served side by side; the layered colours are read as a flag, and it is the national plate.

How long does Pabellón criollo take to make?

Pabellón criollo takes 40 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pabellón criollo?

Yes, within limits. No flank? Beef skirt, brisket or chuck all shred well, though brisket needs a full 3 hours. Very ripe plantains are essential. If you can only find yellow ones, leave them in a warm place for 3–5 days until the skins go black.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pabellón criollo?

The components are cooked separately and never stirred together. The visual arrangement of the four elements on the plate is the dish.