Pabellón Criollo (Venezuelan National Dish)

• 300 g Dried black beans
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 900 g Beef brisket
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 300 g Long-grain white rice
• 4 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 large Plantain, very ripe, skins mostly black

1. Soak the dried black beans in plenty of cold water for 8–12 hours. Drain in a colander and rinse well.
2. Halve the yellow onion and finely chop one half; thinly slice the other half. Finely chop the garlic cloves, keeping half for the beans and half for the beef.
3. Put the beans in a stockpot and cover with fresh water by a few centimetres. Add the sliced onion half, half the garlic, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp of the fine sea salt; bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 60–90 minutes until the beans are tender and creamy, topping up with water as needed.
4. While the beans simmer, put the beef brisket in a second stockpot and cover with water. Add the chopped onion half, remaining garlic, remaining bay leaf, ground cumin, black pepper and the remaining 1 tsp fine sea salt; bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 75–90 minutes until the brisket is fork-tender.
5. Transfer the brisket to a board and shred it into fine strands with two forks. Strain and reserve 300 ml of the cooking liquid for sautéing the beef; discard the bay leaf.
6. Cook the long-grain white rice in a saucepan with 600 ml water and a pinch of fine sea salt. Bring to the boil, cover, then cook on low for 12 minutes; remove from the heat and stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
7. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the shredded beef and sauté for 6–8 minutes until lightly browned in places. Pour in the reserved cooking liquid and cook for 5–7 minutes until the beef is juicy but the flavour is concentrated.
8. Taste the beans and season with a little more fine sea salt and black pepper if needed. Keep warm on a very low heat, adding a splash of water if they look dry.
9. Peel the plantain and cut on a diagonal into 1.5–2 cm slices. Heat the remaining 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the plantain in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden and caramelised, then drain briefly on a plate.
10. Serve the rice, beans, shredded beef and fried plantain together on each plate. Spoon a little of the beef juices over the rice for extra flavour.

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