Pastelón Recipe
Pastelón is a relatively recent dish, first appearing in a Puerto Rican cookbook in 1948. While its exact origin remains uncertain, food and family historians suggest that it may not have originated in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic but rather in New York City. There, Puerto Rican and Dominican families lived alongside Italian families, likely gaining exposure to lasagna and adapting the concept with their own ingredients to better suit their tastes. This theory, however, is still debated.Because of its layered structure, Pastelón is sometimes referred to as "Puerto Rican Lasagna." It is a popular dish in both Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine, consisting of a layered casserole made with cheese, plantains, and a tomato-based beef filling, seasoned with peppers, onions, and various spices.
Ingredients
- Plantains, medium-ripe – 4
- Canola oil – ⅔ cup
- Cilantro, small bunch – 1
- Culantro, small bunch – 1
- Garlic cloves – 2
- Green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped – 1
- Red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped – 1
- Yellow onion, chopped – 1
- Canola oil – 1 tbsp
- Ground beef, lean – 1 lb.
- Kosher salt – 1 tsp
- Black pepper – 1 tsp.
- Ground sweet paprika – 1 tsp
- Ground cumin – ½ tsp
- Dried oregano – 1 tsp
- Tomato Sauce – 1 can
- White wine (or water) – ¼ cup
- Tomato paste – 3 tbsp
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Mozzarella cheese, divided – 3 cups
- Eggs – 2
- Unsalted butter – 1 tbsp
- Pimento-stuffed Spanish olives, thinly sliced – 5
Instructions
- Prepare the plantains. Peel and quarter plantains: first cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise. You should get four slices from each plantain.
- In a large skillet or cast-iron pan, heat up the oil.
- Arrange the plantains as batches so they will flat beside each other in the pan– this will take cooking them in a couple of batches. Fry until the outside is a deep golden brown with a soft inside, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel, allowing them to cool. Strain oil to reuse.
- Prepare the sofrito. Put onion, bell peppers, oregano, cumin, garlic, cilantro, and culantro into your food processor. Pulse until combined. Consistency should be a coarse purée.
- Prepare the picadillo. In a large pan, heat up ¼ cup canola oil over medium heat. Add the sofrito and fry, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until it begins to thicken and brown.
- Add in the beef, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper.
- Cook until beef is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove excess grease from the skillet before proceeding.
- Heat the pan again to medium heat. Add wine, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir occasionally until the mixture begins reducing, around 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in olives.
- Assemble the pastelón. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 8×8 inch baking dish.
- Lay a single layer of plantains in the bottom of the baking dish, crosswise. Layer about half of the picadillo on top and then 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat this order of layers one more time, using the remainder of the plantains and picadillo in the second layer.
- Whisk eggs with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the egg mixture on top of the dish.
- Cover and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling, and the eggs are cooked.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella on top.
- Broil again for 5 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
- Let set for five minutes, cut into squares, and serve hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 862kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 39gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 1108mgFiber: 6gSugar: 29g
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