Venezuelan Black Beans and Ground Veggie Meat: Pabellón Criollo

In Venezuela the National Plate is called "Pabellón Criollo" and is composed by: black beans, shredded meat, fried plantains and white rice. The black beans are slow cooked, and my mom's secret is a little dark brown sugar at the end to enhance the flavor. Since we are vegetarians we substitute the shredded meat for ground veggie meat using the same seasonings, and the end product is delicious. I hope you try this delicious plate. My husband José really likes the beans and veggie meat with our traditional arepas. Buen Provecho!

Black Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry black beans, sorted out from any dirt or stones and washed
• 6 or more cups of water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Soak the black beans over night in plenty of water. Drain the beans and cook them in 6 cups of water, or more if they get too dry, until soft (this will take about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the beans). Meanwhile in a separate pan cook the onions and garlic in the oil until translucent, about 10 minutes in medium heat, and be careful not to let them caramelize. Add the spices and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the red bell peppers and a little salt and pepper, cook for 10 more minutes. When the beans are soft add the onion mixture to the beans and adjust salt and pepper. Cook in low-medium heat for about 30 minutes. Add the brown sugar and do a final adjustment of seasonings. Cook until creamy, maybe 20 more minutes. If in any stage the beans gets too dry just add more water. They are also great in burritos!

Ground Veggie Meat

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 12 oz meat substitute crumbles (I like the Morningstar Farms Grillers Crumbles found in the freezer section of most supermarkets)
• 1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onions, scallions and the garlic in the oil until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and some salt and pepper. Add the veggie meat and cook for 5 more minutes. Mix in the crushed tomatoes and the ketchup and cook at a medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, adjust salt and pepper and enjoy!

For the rest of the "Pabellón Criollo", simply fry some slices of ripe plantain and make 1 cup of brown or white rice the usual way you do. Serve in a plate, a little bit of everything in each corner. I hope you like this traditional and nutritious Venezuelan dish, with my veggie twist.

Comments

[Aníbal Rojas]

Oh My! A venezuela Pabellon _without_ ripped meat ;-) It is great to se all these traditional venezuelan recipes translated to english :-)