Pastelon Food

PASTELóN RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• To the bowl of a food processor, add the cilantro, culantro, onion, red and green bell peppers, garlic, oregano, and cumin. Pulse until combined. The sofrito should have the consistency of a tapenade.
• Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sofrito and fry, stirring constantly, until deepened in color but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the olives to the pan and stir to combine.
• Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Season with the ½ teaspoon salt.
• Add 1 teaspoon of adobo seasoning, the Sazón seasoning, and the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed into the meat, about 7 minutes. Transfer the beef mixture to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, discarding any excess liquid. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and set aside.
• Peel the plantains, cut in half crosswise, then slice each half lengthwise to get 4 thin slices.
• Heat the remaining cup of canola oil in the same pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Test one plantain slice in the oil--if it bubbles and sizzles, the oil is ready.
• Fry the plantains in batches until they are lightly browned on the edges and tender in the centers, 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally with a fork. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season on both sides with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Arrange a single layer of plantains in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, top with about half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella over the meat sauce. Repeat with more plantains, the remaining meat sauce, and another cup of mozzarella. Finish with the remaining plantains.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining teaspoon of adobo seasoning.
• Pour the egg mixture over the plantains, then cover the baking dish with foil.
• Bake the pastelón until the eggs are set and the cheese is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the oven to broil. Uncover the dish and sprinkle the remaining cup of mozzarella over the top. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese on top is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

PASTELON (PUERTO RICAN LAYERED CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Remove meat from pan; drain fat.
• Place tomato sauce, sofrito, green olives, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, recao, and oregano in the skillet. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Return ground beef to skillet; reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Pour oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry plantain slices until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Beat eggs thoroughly in a bowl; add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Line the bottom of the baking pan with half the plantains, overlapping as needed. Layer ground beef mixture, green beans, and remaining plantains; pour eggs on top. Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until eggs are set and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.

PASTELóN

Steps:

• Prepare the plantains: Line a sheet pan with paper towels; set aside. Cut off the ends of each plantain. With the tip of a knife, score plantains lengthwise and peel off the skin. Using a serrated knife or chef's knife, cut each plantain in half lengthwise, and then halve again lengthwise so you end up with 24 long slices. (If some of the slices break or are unevenly shaped, that's OK! Carry on.)
• In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat 1 cup oil over medium-high to between 350 and 375 degrees. Working with 4 to 6 slices at a time, depending on what fits, fry plantains until deep golden brown, turning halfway through, about 6 minutes total. Transfer fried plantains to the prepared sheet pan and cook remaining plantains; set aside. (Let oil cool, then strain and reserve for another use.)
• Prepare the sofrito: Put onion, bell pepper, ají dulce chiles (if using), garlic, cilantro and culantro (if using), in a food processor; blend until it becomes a rough, wet purée. (You should have about 1 cup sofrito).
• Prepare the picadillo: In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until it shimmers. Add the sofrito and cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is evenly cooked and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Push meat mixture to one side, and carefully tilt skillet so that the fat from the meat collects at the bottom of the tilted pan; spoon off and discard as much of this excess fat as you can.
• Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes fall apart and the liquid starts to reduce, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in olives and raisins, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Picadillo can be made up to 2 days in advance. Rewarm it in a pan on the stove before proceeding with recipe.)
• Prepare the pastelón: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Lay half the fried plantain slices along the bottom of the baking dish crosswise, piecing any broken pieces together to form an even layer. (If there are small gaps in the plantain layer, this is OK.) Top with half the picadillo (about 2 cups), smoothing it into an even layer, then sprinkle half the cheese on top in an even layer. Repeat with another layer of plantains then the remaining picadillo. Pour the whisked eggs evenly over the picadillo layer and spread it so it settles down into the pastelón. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake the pastelón until the egg is cooked, the cheese is melted and the layers are set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot.

PASTELóN (PUERTO RICAN PLANTAIN "LASAGNA")

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F: Lightly grease a 10x10 casserole dish (for a thicker pastelón) or 9x13 casserole dish (for a thinner pastelón) with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

PASTEL PUERTORRIQUENO

Steps:

• Saute peppers, onion, and tomato in olive oil until soft, then add in tomato paste, cilantro, and garlic to make a sofrito. Cook until soft and caramelized, at least 10 minutes.
• In food processor, grind the malanga and bananas with the milk, and then add the sofrito. Continue to grind until very smooth. Add cornstarch and mix until fully incorporated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cut banana leaves into 4 (8 by 11-inch) pieces. Place a spoonful of this mixture into the middle of the banana leaf and then divide the olives, raisins, and ham into equal parts and place these on top of the pasteles. Wrap like an envelope and tie with a string. Boil for 45 minutes.

PINON PASTELON LASAGNE ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• For the tofu ricotta: Press the tofu between two plates lined with paper towels for 20 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and press it under a heavy plate for 20 minutes to 1 hour. Combine the tofu, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, miso and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Process until the tofu is smooth but with a slightly crumbly texture.
• For the piñon pastelón roll-ups: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7-by-11-inch casserole dish with 2 tablespoons of the oil and set aside.
• Brush each plantain slice with the remaining oil and place side by side on a baking sheet. Bake until the bottoms of the plantains are caramelized and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Flip the plantains with tongs and bake 5 more minutes, then remove from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Choose the 4 longest slices each of zucchini and yellow squash, place them on a wire rack and sprinkle with salt. This will release the excess moisture. Reserve the remaining slices for another use.
• For the sazón tempeh mushroom Bolognese: While the plantains bake, tie the thyme, sage and bay leaves in a bundle with kitchen twine or cheesecloth to create a bouquet garni. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the tempeh and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more oil if the skillet is dry, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sazón, oregano and paprika. Stir to combine, add the wine, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and cook until almost reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, then season with salt and pepper.
• Nestle the bouquet garni into the sauce and simmer until all of the flavors become incorporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
• For assembling and serving: Cover the bottom of the prepared casserole dish with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the Bolognese.
• Stack 1 plantain slice on 1 zucchini slice. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the tofu ricotta, draining any excess liquid, onto the center of the stack. Roll up tightly and place in the casserole dish with the filling exposed on top. Repeat, alternating the squash and zucchini for stacking with the plantain, until the casserole dish is filled. (Fitting the roll-ups snugly in the dish should help them hold their shape; otherwise you can use toothpicks to secure them.) Top with another 2 cups of the Bolognese and sprinkle with the cheese. Reserve any remaining Bolognese for serving or for another use.
• Bake until the zucchini and squash are fork tender, about 25 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through. Sprinkle the cilantro on the roll-ups and serve with a spatula.

PASTELóN (SWEET PLANTAIN "LASAGNA")

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet add oil of choice, enough to generously cover the bottom of your pan. Fry the plantains till they are a golden and just a little crispy on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towel. Repeat until all are fried and slightly crispy.
• Add annatto oil to the same skillet add the ground meat of choice, garlic, onions, peppers, cilantro and or parsley, cooking over medium heat till meat is browned.
• Add adobo, oregano, cumin, vinegar, bay leaf, olives, raisins, and tomato sauce. Season with black pepper to taste and salt to taste. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter or oil using the coconut oil from the fried plantains a 9x12 casserole pan.
• Place half the plantain in a single layer and press down on them to fill all gaps.
• Top with half the meat mixture.
• Sprinkle half the cheese over the meat mixture.
• Press the remaining plantains to flatten.
• Place the flattened plantains on the cheese, top with remained meat mixture then cheese.
• Mix the eggs with the milk. Pour the egg evenly over the the dish, let it sit for a few minutes allow the egg to soak inches.
• If you like cheese like i do go ahead and sprinkle additional cheese on top.
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Let rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.

PASTELON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add plantains; cook 3 min. or until golden on both sides, turning after 1-1/2 min. Remove from skillet; set aside.
• Cook bacon, onions and peppers in same skillet 8 to 10 min. or just until bacon is crisp and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add ground beef; cook 5 to 7 min. or until done, stirring frequently. Drain. Add all remaining ingredients except VELVEETA; cook on low heat 5 min. or until mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.
• Layer half each of the plantains, meat filling and VELVEETA in 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat layers.
• Bake 30 min. or until heated through.

PASTELON

Steps:

• Cut plantains in strips (moving in a horizontal direction).
• In a pan, with heated oil, fry plantains in low heat until done.
• In another pan, add sofrito, tomato sauce, meat, sazon, and oregano.
• When plantains are done and after cooling, press plantains with a fork until flat.
• Grease a baking pan (size up to cook's discretion) and arrange the first layer of plantain strips.
• Beat eggs and pour half the mix over.
• When meat is ready, add meat over plantain layer.
• Add a second layer of plantain strips.
• Pour remaining beaten eggs.
• Bake at 350° until egg mixture is no longer watery.

PUERTO RICAN SHEPHERD PIE (PASTELON)

Steps:

• To make sofrito: Place the onion, bell pepper, parsley, cilantro, culantro, garlic, and water into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sofrito into the beef, then season with sazon, pepper, and adobo. Drain and discard any excess grease; set aside.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Arrange the plantains in the skillet and pan fry until golden and softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Layer half of the plantains in a deep baking dish, making sure to cover the entire bottom of the dish. Pour 4 beaten eggs over the plantains, then spread the beef on top. Layer the green beans over the beef, then arrange the remaining plantains on top. Pour 4 more beaten eggs evenly over the plantains. Sprinkle the top with adobo seasoning.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the eggs are firm, 30 to 45 minutes.