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Pastelón
Plantain and beef bake
Pastelón de plátano maduro: Puerto Rico's sweet plantain and beef picadillo bake
Pastelón turns up at Puerto Rican Sunday lunches and Christmas parties all over the island, from San Juan to Ponce, usually next to a pot of rice and beans. Instead of pasta it is layered with long slices of fried ripe plantain, so every bite is sweet and salty at once: soft caramelised plantain, a savoury beef picadillo with olives and capers, melted cheese and a light egg binding. Cut it into squares like a lasagne. The mistake to avoid is using yellow or green plantains; they stay starchy and dry, so wait until the skins are almost black. Chef's tip: leave the pastelón to rest for 15 minutes after baking; the egg and cheese set and the squares come out clean.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the plantains
- 4 very ripe plantainsskins mostly black
- ½ cup vegetable oilfor shallow frying
For the picadillo
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 green pepperfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
- 1 ⅓ lb beef mince
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¾ cup tomato passata
- 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olivessliced
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
To assemble
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Peel 4 very ripe plantains and cut each one lengthways into 4 long slices about 1 cm thick.
Step 2: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the slices in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden with darker caramelised edges. Drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 3: For the picadillo, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Cook 1 onion and 1 green pepper for 5 minutes until soft, then add 3 cloves garlic and half of ¼ oz fresh coriander for 1 minute.
6 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅓ lb beef mince, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook for 8 minutes until browned all over with no pink left. Stir in 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper.
8 minStep 5: Add ¾ cup tomato passata, 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olives and 1 tbsp capers and simmer for 10 minutes, until thick and only a little saucy. Stir in the rest of ¼ oz fresh coriander. Cooked mince should reach 160°F; it will cook further in the oven.
10 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter a 20 x 30 cm baking dish with ⅓ oz butter.
Step 7: Lay a third of the plantain slices over the base, pour over a third of 3 eggs and scatter over a third of 7 oz grated mozzarella or mild cheddar. Spread half the picadillo on top. Repeat the layers, finishing with plantain, the last of the egg and the last of the cheese.
Step 8: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling and a knife pushed into the middle comes out hot with no runny egg.
33 minStep 9: Rest for 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days; reheat until piping hot.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pastelón take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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