Adam Romo’s the braised beef arepas
By Adam Romo The Cracker Box
Friday, March 4, 2022
I love this dish and have brought it to the breakfast scene over and over again for its versatility and ease of production.
It can be filled with cheese or made into a sandwich style dish. In this application, we're going to top it with an array of things to really bring layers of flavor to the table (so to speak). Besides the arepas themselves, there will be two other main components. The braised beef, which means to cook slowly in liquid; and the herb sauce, which is rooted in the ever popular chimichurri.
For the Arepas:
2 cups warm water
2 cups maseca (instant corn masa flour)
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons softened butter (optional)
Dissolve salt in warm water.
In a bowl, add cornmeal and slowly incorporate water, mixing thoroughly. Hands work best here. Continue adding water until the dough is smooth yet firm and doesn't stick to your hands very easily. Forming the dough, you don't want any cracks. If this happens as a little more water a teaspoon at a time. At this point, I like to add some softened butter for richness but it's not necessary. Form dough into patties about the size of the palm of your hand. I usually set aside on parchment. In an oiled skillet, fry arepas on medium high heat on each side until crisp. Don't be afraid to get some good dark color on them!
For the beef:
3-4 pounds chuck roast
1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 red bell pepper
6 garlic cloves
2 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
4 bay leaves
3 cups red wine (burgundy cooking wine works well here)
Beef stock
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
I like to use a Dutch oven for this as you can sear the beef, cook veggies, and braise everything in the oven all in the same vessel.
If you don't have one, you can easily begin cooking everything in a skillet or two and move into a casserole dish for the oven portion. Start by chopping your veggies.
When it comes to the garlic, I like to simply smash them but leave them fairly whole.
Begin heating up a few tablespoons of oil. Season the meat generously and sear on all sides for about 5 minutes, you want the meat brown and crispy. Set aside.
Add chopped carrots and cook about ten minutes until slightly tender. Now add the other veggies (not the garlic yet) season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onions, celery and bells have begun to soften.
Add your garlic and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Then add the wine, scraping up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the pot and add the herbs and beef stock (or water) and cover. Place in oven at 300 degrees for 3 hours or until tender. Be sure to remove and discard any herb stems and cartilage.
For the sauce:
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup cilantro
3 tablespoons oregano leaves
3 tablespoons mint leaves
Half a shallot
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons agave or honey
3/4 cup olive oil
Juice from a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine herbs, shallot, garlic, lime juice and vinegar in a food processer or blender and pulse until mostly chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add the oil with the machine on until well combined.
Assembly:
Top arepa with beef, queso fresco, diced tomato, chopped green onion, and grated fresh radish. At the restaurant I really like to put eggs in things, so this usually gets topped with a poached or fried egg; but it's completely up to you.
Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!
Adam Romo is the head cook at The Cracker Box.
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