Book of Days Tales

On this date in 1810 the cabildo (city council) in Caracas created a local junta (autonomous local government), seed of the First Republic of Venezuela. It was the beginning of the independence struggle which had many setbacks before the final achievement of home rule in 1830. Today is a national holiday in Venezuela. The First Republic of Venezuela (Primera República de Venezuela) was the first independent government of Venezuela, lasting, unofficially, from 19 April 1810, to 25 July 1812. The period of the First Republic began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial authorities and the establishment of a junta in Caracas, initiating the Venezuelan War of Independence, and ended with the surrender of the republican forces to the Spanish Captain Domingo de Monteverde. The congress of Venezuela declared the nation’s independence on 5 July 1811, and later wrote a constitution for it. In doing so, Venezuela is notable for being the first Spanish American colony to declare its independence.

I’d love to give you a recipe for Mondongo criollo Venezolano (Venezuelan tripe Criollo), but I fear a rebellion. If you are interested, go here: http://www.recetasgratis.net/Receta-de-Mondongo-criollo-Venezolano-receta-34456.html  It’s in Spanish but I am sure tripe lovers will cope. Instead I give you a favorite Venezuelan dish, Pabellón Criollo.  “Criollo” is a slightly complicated word in Latin American Spanish. It can refer to the native born elites of Spanish ancestry, or it can be more directly translated as “creole,” that is a person or thing of mixed origin (European and Native American).  In the case of this dish it is the latter usage, because it combines Old and New World ingredients – a nineteenth century version of what hipsters now call “fusion” cuisine.  The dish consists of shredded beef served with black beans, boiled white rice, and fried plantains.  Here I give you the recipe for the beef only. I trust you can manage to cook rice and beans by yourselves, and I’ll give a recipe for fried plantains another day.

Pabellón Criollo

Ingredients

2 lbs flank steak
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsps paprika
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
8 cups beef stock (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cooked rice, cooked black beans and fried plantains (tajadas)

Instructions

Cut the flank steak into 6 pieces, more or less (“mas o menos” is a universal term in Latin America for “whatever”). Just don’t make them too small.

Use a mortar and pestle (not food processor) to grind the garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, paprika and ½ the jalapeño until it forms a thick homogenous paste. Rub the paste evenly over the steak, transfer it to a tightly closed plastic bag, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy pot and add half the green pepper and onion.  Sauté until softened, then add the steak and brown on both sides.

Add 8 cups of water or beef stock and simmer covered for 2 hours, or until the steak is very tender.

Remove the steak from the stock and shred it with your hands when it is cool enough to handle, removing any fat.  Reserve the stock for other uses.

Add the remaining olive oil to a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the remaining uncooked onion, green pepper and jalapeño. Sauté until the onion is translucent.

Add the shredded beef and cook until crisp. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Plate each dish with the shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantains.

Serves 4-6