Pastelón

6-7 Sweet plantain. Black markings are a sign of sweetness.
1/2 stick of butter

Salt

1-2 pounds ground chicken or turkey.

Ground achiote or ground annatto seed (paprika can substitute)

Green bell pepper

1 Spanish onion

5-6 garlic cloves

1 bunch of cilantro

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Ground garlic, oregano, turmeric, and cumin

8 oz. of salsa de tomate. (Spanish style tomato sauce)

Quality melting cheese. Mix of mozzarella and cheddar. You can also use your favorite melting cheese such Gruyere, or Smoked Gouda

Frying oil

Illustration by David Alvarado

Feeds 6-8 people

1. Peel sweet blackened plantain and cut lengthwise in half. Carefully cut the half in half to layer your pastelón.
2. Get your frying oil nice and hot and fry 5-7 minutes each side until you’re done.
3. While plantains are frying, make your picadillo, a ground beef mixture, by browning the ground chicken or turkey and adding 2 heaping spoons fulls of sofrito. If you do not have premade sofrito, sauté peppers, onion, and garlic in the oil and then add the ground meat.
4. Add ground garlic, oregano, turmeric, and cumin to taste.
5. Add adobo, paprika, and achiote to add color and flavor. Taste for flavor, and adjust as needed.
6. Add 1/2 cup of “salsa de tomato” or tomato sauce and allow flavors to come together.
7. Butter or oil a pan or dish.
8. Create layers by putting plantains cut in half on the bottom evenly.
9. Add one layer of cheese.
10. Spread the meat mixture, known as picadillo or vegetables evenly across.
11. You can add spinach and even some ricotta if you would like.
12. Add more cheese
13. Add second layer of plantains
14. Add cheese.
15. Add “confetti” which is a small amount of green herbs.
16. Add cheese over herbs.
17. Set oven temperature for 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until browned.
18. If the dish is not brown after 30 minutes, you can raise the heat to 400 for 5 additional minutes.
19. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Vegetarian option

1. Replace the ground meat with Impossible meat and/or just use vegetables including: zucchini, yellow squash, cremini mushrooms, spinach, smoked sweet peppers (bell, poblano, and Anaheim all work well).