Pabellón criollo (Venezuelan beef, black beans and rice)

• 400 g Rice (long-grain)
  Swaps (2)
• 6 u Egg (to serve it «a caballo») (optional)
  Swaps (2)
• 3 u Tomato (ripe, grated)
  Swaps (1)
• 2 u Onion (one for the beef and one for the beans)
• 6 cloves Garlic (chopped, four for the beef and two for the beans)
• 1 tablespoon Salt (divided between the beef, the beans and the rice)
• 0.5 teaspoons Black pepper (ground)
• 300 ml Sunflower Oil (for frying)
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for the sofritos and the rice)
• 2 u Red Pepper (one for the beef and one for the beans)
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin (one for the beef and one for the beans)
• 2 leaves Bay Leaf
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar (or grated papelón, for the beans)
• 400 g Black Beans (dried (caraotas))
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  Swaps (1)
• 3 u Plantain (very ripe, with almost black skins)
• 1 kg Beef Flank Steak (in one or two pieces)
• Water (for cooking the beef, the beans and the rice)

Instructions

1. 1

   The day before, pick over and rinse the black beans (caraotas), cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave to soak overnight.

2. 2

   Put the beef in a pot with 2 litres of water, one bay leaf and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam and simmer gently, covered, until very tender and falling apart when pressed with a fork.

   2 hr

3. 3

   Meanwhile, drain the beans and cook them in another pot with 1.5 litres of fresh water and the other bay leaf, over low heat with the lid ajar, until tender. Add hot water if they are no longer covered.

   90 min

4. 4

   Let the beef cool a little in its broth, then lift it out and shred it into thin strands with two forks or your fingers, along the grain. Set aside 250 ml of the broth.

   15 min

5. 5

   For the beef, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and gently cook one onion and one pepper, cut into thin strips, with four garlic cloves over medium heat until soft. Add the grated tomato and a teaspoon of cumin and let it reduce to a thick sauce.

   18 min

6. 6

   Stir in the shredded beef, the Worcestershire sauce and the reserved broth, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring now and then, until the beef has soaked up nearly all the liquid and is juicy but not soupy.

   15 min

7. 7

   For the beans, finely chop the rest of the onion and pepper and fry them in another pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, the remaining two garlic cloves and the rest of the cumin. Tip this into the bean pot with the sugar and salt to taste and simmer uncovered until the liquid thickens; crush a few beans against the side of the pot to help it along.

   20 min

8. 8

   Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear. Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, stir the rice in it for a minute, add 800 ml of water and a pinch of salt and, once boiling, cover and cook over the lowest heat for 18 minutes. Leave to rest, covered, for 5 minutes.

   25 min

9. 9

   Peel the plantains and cut them on the diagonal into long slices 1 cm thick. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat (about 170 °C) and fry them in batches for 3 or 4 minutes a side, until golden and caramelised at the edges. Drain on kitchen paper.

   15 min

10. 10

    If serving it «a caballo», fry the eggs in a little of the plantain oil. Build each plate with a portion of rice, one of beans, the shredded beef with the egg on top, and two or three slices of plantain to the side.

    8 min