Puerto-Rican-Recipes
Pastelόn by Barb
2 lbs. ground beef
Adobo to taste
1 tbsp. white vinegar
Sazón, 1 packet
3 tbsp. tomato sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. sofrito or to your liking
Spanish olives, 5-6 diced
Salt to your liking
Canola oil (for frying)
Ripe plantains (black skins)
3-4 eggs
I used mixed cheddars, white and yellow cheese
Season ground beef with adobo. Add vinegar, sazón, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sofrito, and olives.
Brown the beef and cook until well done. Keep on low heat until ready to use. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.
Peel each plantain by cutting off the ends, then carefully slicing down the skin length-wise. Separate the plantain from the peel. You will need to slice each plantain into layers by cutting length-wise across the plantain. Each layer should be thin, but thick enough to pan-fry. Mine came out thicker than I wanted them to be but still came out good. Carefully fry each plantain layer. You want the plantain to have a golden-brown color, turning each layer halfway-through so that both sides get a nice color. Once both sides of the plantain are golden-brown, remove from oil and place on a paper towel covered plate so the oil is absorbed. Repeat until all your plantain layers are fried. Using a lasagna dish generously grease it with some butter, layer the fried plantains to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread cooked ground beef on top to cover the length of the dish. Repeat, creating alternating layers of plantains, ground beef and cheese. Crack open your eggs into a bowl and beat. Pour the eggs over the top of the pastelón, making sure to get some into the corners, sides, and middle. This helps seal the pastelón, so it doesn’t break apart as much when serving. Top with more cheese if desired. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown
