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Food and Drink: Latin Inspired Thanksgiving Recipe #5- Pastelón de Plátanos

Food and Drink Latin Inspired Thanksgiving Recipe 5- Pasteloacuten de Plaacutetanos
With Thanksgiving two days away, the past weekend was filled with dinner parties and friends getting together to share their favorite foods. One dish that was brought to dinner was this tasty Pastelón de Plátanos made with sweet plantains, cheddar cheese, and ground beef. It was my first time having it and went back for seconds and thirds! It was a great side dish and standalone since it was heavy with chesse and plantains; you can basically think of it as a Latin lasagna. See the recipe below, originally from The Latin Kitchen, and dig in!

Ingredients
  • 6 sweet plantains
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
  • black ground pepper
Directions
  1. Mix meat with pepper, onion, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and garlic. In a shallow pan heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground beef and stir so it cooks uniformly. Add two tablespoons of water and the tomato paste. Let simmer at medium heat. Adjust water when necessary. When the meat is ready let all the liquid evaporate, adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and reserve.
  2. Peel the plantains and boil adding 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. When the plantains are very tender turn off the heat. Take the plantains out of the water and mash them with a fork. Add the butter and keep mashing until it is very smooth.
  3. Put half of the plantains mixture in the baking pan. Cover with 1/3 of the cheese and add the meat. Add another third of the cheese, cover with the remaining plantain mixture. Cover with the rest of the cheese. Put in the oven until the top is golden brown.

If you like your dishes more sweet than savory, my friend actually mashes the plantains with a little cream, brown sugar, and butter! Delicious and filling, this dish should definitely make it on your menu!

Happy eating!

Cheers,
Frank Campanale
Remodeling and Home Design