Day 65 Venezuela

Venezuela ranked as one of the top ten oil and natural gas reserves in the world and has a culture shaped largely by African, Spanish and Caribbean influences. Interestingly the name "Venezuela" literally translates to "Little Venice" owing to a tendency of the locals to build villages over water. This was off course in the late 1400's. Today it is considered one of South Americas most urban countries. Our dish today is a Pabellon Criollo or Creole Flag, as it resembles somewhat the Venezuelan flag and consists of the three most popular ingredients of Venezuelan cuisine; black beans, flank steak and rice, which brings it as close to a national dish as one can get.

The flank steak was seasoned with salt and pepper and a bay leaf, covered with beef broth and simmered ( I used the oven) for an hour and a half. Once cooked it was shredded and sautéed with diced onion, tomato, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.

The Beans aka Caraotas Négras were soaked overnight and boiled till soft. Onions were sautéed along with smashed garlic, diced red peppers and seasoned with cumin, brown sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Arroz blanco or white rice was cooked and set aside. To assemble the dish, the beef, rice and beans were arranged in rows and embellished with fried plantain slices. Best way to cook stringy flank steaks- sweetened beans and rice were the perfect accompaniment to the meat.

Moving on to Central America- first stop: Costa Rica....