CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 16 Made in America: Part I | Page 74

W W W. C R A F T BY U M H . C O M
the steak to the pan and sear until browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the steak to a
plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and bell pepper to the oil and drippings in the pan.
Cook, stirring to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onion is soft and
translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the to-
matoes and cook until softened, 60 seconds. Add 1 cup water, the Worcestershire sauce, cumin,
paprika, cilantro, and cinnamon stick. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine. Return the
steak, along with any accumulated juices, to the pan and nestle it into the vegetables and sauce.
Cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and turn the flank steak
over, bathing the meat in some of the liquid. Add the remaining 1 cup water. Return to the oven
and cook until the steak is falling apart and the temperature registers 205°F when measured with
an instant-read thermometer, 60 to 90 minutes more. Using two forks, pull the meat apart into
shreds.
4. Meanwhile, to make the arepas, combine the warm water and salt in a bowl. Add the masa
harina in a slow, steady stream, stirring with a stiff rubber spatula to combine. Oil your fingers
and hands and knead in the bowl until there are no dry spots or lumps. Set aside to rest and
rehydrate, allowing the corn flour to fully absorb the water, for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into
6 even pieces and shape them into balls a little bigger than a golf ball and weighing about 4
ounces each.
5. Oil your hands and pat one of the balls into a disk about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch
thick. Heat a film of oil in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet or large griddle over medium
heat. Cook the arepas on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Reduce the heat as needed; a few
nicely charred spots are delicious, but burned is not. Also, if cooking a few at a time, the pan
will continue to absorb heat, so the last few will most likely need to be cooked on very low heat.
Transfer the arepas to a plate to rest and finish cooking at least 5 minutes before serving.
6. To serve, using a serrated knife, split an arepa and fill it with a heaping spoonful of the shred-
ded beef. Stuff with cheese and serve immediately with the avocado crema.
NOTE:
For the crema
1 avocado
¼ jalapeño, or to taste, seeded
and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
with stems
1 cup water
Juice of ½ lime
Coarse kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
1. To make the avocado crema, place the avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, the water, and lime juice in
a blender. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
SHREDDED BEEF AREPAS from SECRETS OF THE SOUTHERN TABLE by VIRGINIA WILLIS. Copyright ©
2018 by VIRGINIA WILLIS. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
© Hundred-to-One LLC 2018. All rights reserved.