Hearty MUST TRY Recipe!!!

Harris Farm Markets – Venezuelan Arepas Con Carne Mechada
Tender, slow-cooked beef, vibrant spices, and crispy homemade arepas come together in this hearty and delicious dish. Packed with rich flavours and comforting textures, it’s a perfect meal for any occasion. Serve with black beans and crumbled feta for an authentic and satisfying bite.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 kg beef flank or skirt
1 brown onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 green capsicum, sliced
140g tomato paste
190g Sacla Pasta Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup coriander, chopped
Arepas
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups Harina PAN
To Serve
400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed, warmed
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Method
- Heat a frying pan with olive oil over high heat. Add the beef and sear for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place into a pressure cooker.
- Keep the pan over in the same pan on high heatand add the onion, red and green capsicum, garlic, cumin, paprika and oregano. Stir for 3-5 minutes until soften. Add the tomato paste, pasta sauce, ½ cup water and a good pinch of salt and pepper., Stir through.
- Bring to the boil, then transfer to the pressure cooker. Set the pressure cooker to 35mins and leave aside to cook.
- Remove beef and shred with two forks, stir back through the sauce in the pressure cooker with the coriander and stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Arepa dough by placing 2 ½ cups of warm water into a bowl with salt and olive oil. Stir until dissolved. Slowly add the Harina PAN to the bowl, stirring, breaking any little balls of flour, until all combined. Cover with a tea towel and rest for 5 minutes.
- Add some olive oil to your hands and roll into approx. 6 equal size balls. Shape each ball into a flat 1cm-thick Arepas.
- Heat a griddle or a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the Arepas and cook for 5 minutes one each side until golden brown.
- Slice open along the Arepa to form a pocket and fill it up with shredded beef, black beans and top with crumbled feta cheese.
