Machuquillo De Platanos Recipes

PASTELON DE PLATANO MADURO (DOMINICAN-STYLE YELLOW PLANTAIN PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place plantains and salt into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until plantains turn a darker yellow; add 1 cup water to the pot, bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
• Mash plantains, milk, and butter together in the pot until smooth.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomato sauce, garlic, and chicken bouillon, adding water if mixture gets too dry, in hot oil until beef is browned and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Spread 1/2 of the mashed plantains into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour meat mixture over the plantains and top with Cheddar cheese. Spread remaining mashed plantains over the cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until plantains are golden and filling is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

RELLENITOS DE PLATANO

Steps:

• Place the plantains in water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Drain and mash.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the refried beans. Stir in the sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
• To make the rellenitos, form a palm-sized amount of mashed plantains into a ball; flatten and place about a teaspoon of the bean mixture in the middle; then mold the sides of the plantain around the beans, making an egg-shaped ball.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), or until a small amount of batter sizzles and browns in the oil. Fry rellenitos in oil until browned. Drain on paper towels.

PLATANOS MADUROS

Steps:

• Cut ends from plantains and peel fruit. Diagonally cut plantains into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a large nonstick skillet heat 1/3 cup oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté plantains in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. With a spatula transfer plantains as sautéed to paper towels to drain and season with salt if desired.
• Serve plantains immediately.

MACHUQUILLO DE PLATANOS

Steps:

• Mince garlic and in a small cup combine with 2 tablespoons oil. Let garlic mixture stand, covered and chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Cut salt pork or bacon into 1/4-inch dice and in a small bowl combine with 1 cup water. Let salt pork or bacon stand 30 minutes and drain.
• In a small heavy saucepan bring remaining 1/4 cup water to a boil with pork or bacon and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until water is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Lower heat to moderately low and continue to cook pork or bacon, covered, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp. With a slotted spoon transfer pork or bacon to paper towels to drain and discard rendered fat (or reserve for another use if desired).
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• With a sharp small knife cut unpeeled plantains into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Slit skin along side of each slice and peel off. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat 1/2 inch oil over moderate heat until just hot enough to sizzle when a plantain slice is added. Fry plantains in batches, without crowding, until tender and just golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. With tongs transfer plantains as fried to paper towels to drain and transfer to a baking pan. Keep fried plantains warm in middle of oven.
• In a food processor pulse warm fried plantains until coarsely mashed. Add garlic mixture, fried pork or bacon, and salt and pulse until mixture just starts to hold together. (If desired, mold before serving: Transfer mashed plantains to a small bowl and press into bowl. Invert bowl onto a serving plate and tap to unmold plantains.)

GANDULES CON BOLITAS DE PLáTANO (PIGEON PEAS WITH PLANTAIN DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Prepare the gandules: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add sofrito and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mixture darkens. Add gandules, vegetable stock, bay leaves and salt, and increase heat to high. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• While gandules are cooking, prepare the plantain dumplings: Grate or blend plantains in a food processor until smooth or shred them finely on a box grater. Put grated plantains in a medium bowl and add cumin, garlic powder, annatto and salt. Mix well with a fork to incorporate. The mixture will be thick and a little sticky, but the natural starch of the plantain will set up quickly.
• Return the gandules to a rolling simmer. Standing over the pot, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of plantain masa and put directly into the pot. The dumplings will rise immediately to the top. Repeat with the remaining masa, careful to avoid putting fresh dumplings on top of others, until you've used up all of the plantain masa, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking to one another.
• Once all the plantain dumplings have been added, lower heat and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring gently a few times. Remove from heat, and adjust salt to taste. Serve as a soup, accompanied by white rice, with avocado slices on the side.

PASTELON DE PLATANOS MADUROS

Steps:

• Heat dash of oil, sofrito, Sazon, onion and garlic on medium heat until well sauteed.
• Add ground beef and tomato sauce and stir until well cooked, but not dry.
• Drain any grease.
• Make sure ground beef is well ground (that it has no chunks).
• Add corn and string beans to mixture.
• Add cheese to picadillo (ground beef), if using, it helps to bind the meat together.
• Peel and slice plantains lengthwise.
• If the plantains are large, you'll probably get about three-four lengths per plantain.
• Saute plantain slices in medium-hot oil for a few mintues, flipping halfway through cooking.
• Set slices on paper toweled tray or use a brown garbage bag, and allow the oil to be absorbed; and pat dry.
• Layer plantains along bottom of greased 9x9 pan.
• Pour two eggs, beaten, over bottom layer.
• Top with ground beef layer.
• Repeat plantain and beef layers, making sure the plantain layer is the top.
• Optional cheese layer on top.
• Cook in 350ºF oven for about 35 minutes, making sure eggs are cooked and not watery.
• ENJOY!