ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Andrea Osorio, her wife and mother recently opened Carupano Kitchen located inside St. Petersburg’s Foodie Labs.
“We are known for arepas, Venezuelan arepas, they are like a Venezuelan sandwich,” said Osorio, who is proud to share cuisine from home.
“To be able to bring the food from our hometown of, specifically, Carupano, which is a small coastal town in Venezuela to St. Petersburg, Florida, it’s just a huge privilege to be able to share who we are through our cuisine.”
Osorio shared her slow-cooked wine reduction short rib arepa.
Ingredients:
3–4 lb bone-in or boneless beef short ribs
1.5 tsp salt & black pepper – to taste
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 sweet peppers
1/2 bell pepper
3–4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
1 tbsp thyme – to taste
1.5 tsp adobo – to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
Steps:
Season & sear: Generously season the short ribs with salt. Heat oil in a pot and sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Deglaze: Pour in the red wine, scraping browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 5 minutes, until the wine has reduced by roughly half
Add minced onions, peppers, garlic and spices
Slow-cook: Return short ribs to the pot. The liquid should come about ½–⅔ of the way up the meat, not completely cover it
Cook low & slow: Cover and cook on low heat for 3–4 hours or until desired tenderness, turning ribs once or twice, until meat is tender
Finish: Shred or portion the short rib and toss with enough reduction to keep it juicy and coated.
Stuff arepas (find at Carupano Kitchen or local grocer), sandwiches or simply put filling on top of mashed potatoes, making the short ribs the star!
Serves four