Growing up in Miami there were many different neighborhoods where you could taste your way across the Caribbean. We had Little Havana. Little Haiti, the Goombay neighborhood of Jamaica, Little Colombia and Nicaragua and Little San Juan.
Little San Juan was the Puerto Rican community. There you would find lots of great pastries and their traditional dish of mofongo. Until recently I didn’t realize they have another popular dish called Pastelón.
Think of it as a Puerto Rican lasagna. Layers and layers but instead of pasta, they use fried sweet plantains (maduros) layered with cooked spiced ground beef (picadillo) and cheese and covered in whisked eggs as a binder.
I had two plantains at home that were in the process of turning brown and mushy, perfect for making maduros. I also had green and red peppers and onions in the fridge as well as some ground beef, so, I thought I would make a personal pan Pastelón for mom and I.
It was my first attempt at making a Pastelón, and it turned out fantastic. This recipe was just enough to serve mom and I. If you plan to feed a family of four, double the number of items needed.
Personal Pastelón for two:
- ¾ pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- A pinch of salt
- ½ cup diced green and red peppers
- ½ cup diced sweet onions
- 1 Sazon pack
- 2 Extremely ripe plantains (skin almost all brown)
- ¼ cup of Canola Oil
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- 2 Eggs (whisked)
- 1 Cup Cheddar cheese (or Mozzarella)
Toss the ground beef and all the ingredients, except the plantains into a pan to start browning the meat and cooking the vegetables. Cook over medium high heat until done and then lower the temperature to keep everything warm. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Peel the plantains and slice them in half lengthwise. Cut those slices in half. In a saucepan place the Canola oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Let the oil get hot and start cooking the plantains, turning frequently until they’re golden brown and remove them from the heat.
Grease a small roasting pan with the butter. Place four slices of the plantains down. Cover the plantains with a large spoonful of the meat mixer. Cover with ½ cup of cheese and half of the eggs. Layer the remaining plantains on top. Add more meat, the other ½ cup of cheese and the remaining egg. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy.
In my case, I would have added one more layer of plantains on top of the last portion of meat before adding the last of the cheese and egg, but, as I mentioned, I had two plantains that were ready for use. Half of the Pastelón was served to mom. It was a typical serving for me but quite a large serving for mom. At her age now, her appetite isn’t what it used to be. Yet, she cleaned her plate.
The sweetness of the plantains in contrast with the savory picadillo along with the flavor of the cheese and hint of egg makes each bite delectable. Next time I’ll make sure to have Mozzarella on hand. I think it would make it more cheesy and creamier.
This is now part of the household’s list of recipes that is not only mom approved, but mom wants again, and soon.