Plantain And Meat Casserole Recipes

PASTELóN (PUERTO RICAN PLANTAIN "LASAGNA")

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F: Lightly grease a 10x10 casserole dish (for a thicker pastelón) or 9x13 casserole dish (for a thinner pastelón) with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

PLANTAIN AND MEAT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. A minute later, add the meat and some salt and pepper and cook, stirring to break up lumps, until it loses its color, just a couple of minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until quite soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, and tomatoes and some more salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. (This is a good time to sauté the plantains if you have not already done so.)
• Return the beef to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes; taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Use about a third of the sauce to make a thin layer at the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square casserole or similar-size dish. Top with a layer of plantains, then more sauce, then the remaining plantains, then finally the remaining sauce. Pour the eggs over all if you like. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through, then serve hot or at room temperature or cover and refrigerate overnight before covering with foil and reheating in a 250°F oven.

PASTELóN

Steps:

• Prepare the plantains: Line a sheet pan with paper towels; set aside. Cut off the ends of each plantain. With the tip of a knife, score plantains lengthwise and peel off the skin. Using a serrated knife or chef's knife, cut each plantain in half lengthwise, and then halve again lengthwise so you end up with 24 long slices. (If some of the slices break or are unevenly shaped, that's OK! Carry on.)
• In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat 1 cup oil over medium-high to between 350 and 375 degrees. Working with 4 to 6 slices at a time, depending on what fits, fry plantains until deep golden brown, turning halfway through, about 6 minutes total. Transfer fried plantains to the prepared sheet pan and cook remaining plantains; set aside. (Let oil cool, then strain and reserve for another use.)
• Prepare the sofrito: Put onion, bell pepper, ají dulce chiles (if using), garlic, cilantro and culantro (if using), in a food processor; blend until it becomes a rough, wet purée. (You should have about 1 cup sofrito).
• Prepare the picadillo: In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until it shimmers. Add the sofrito and cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is evenly cooked and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Push meat mixture to one side, and carefully tilt skillet so that the fat from the meat collects at the bottom of the tilted pan; spoon off and discard as much of this excess fat as you can.
• Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes fall apart and the liquid starts to reduce, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in olives and raisins, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Picadillo can be made up to 2 days in advance. Rewarm it in a pan on the stove before proceeding with recipe.)
• Prepare the pastelón: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Lay half the fried plantain slices along the bottom of the baking dish crosswise, piecing any broken pieces together to form an even layer. (If there are small gaps in the plantain layer, this is OK.) Top with half the picadillo (about 2 cups), smoothing it into an even layer, then sprinkle half the cheese on top in an even layer. Repeat with another layer of plantains then the remaining picadillo. Pour the whisked eggs evenly over the picadillo layer and spread it so it settles down into the pastelón. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake the pastelón until the egg is cooked, the cheese is melted and the layers are set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot.

CHEESY CHICKEN & PLANTAIN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425°. Peel and halve the plantains and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through and beginning to brown. Remove from oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 375°.
• While the plantains are baking, saute the onions and peppers in the olive oil over medium-high hear for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
• Add the chicken, salt and tomato sauce and stir to combine over the heat. If they chicken looks too dry, add a 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock. Saute for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Grease a small baking dish, then place the plantains at the bottom in one layer. If your baking dish is small, you may have to layer here. Just place enough plantains to cover the bottom in one layer. Place half the chicken on top of the plantains and spread out into an even layer. Do the same with the beans (and any extra plantains you have), then top off with the remaining chicken. Spread the cheese over the top in an even layer.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 365°.

PLANTAIN AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Mash boiled plantains. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and the butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
• Heat large saute pan with the remainder of the olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is warm add onions, garlic, peppers, celery, and jalapeño to pan and cook for 5 minutes.
• Layer a gratin pan with 1/2 of the mashed plantains and 2/3 cup of the cheese. Then add the sauteed vegetables and another 2/3 cup of the cheese. Layer with the rest of the plantains and top with the rest of the cheese.
• Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm garnished with avocado.

PLANTAIN CASSEROLE (ST. LUCIA -- CARIBBEAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil, then drop the peeled plantains into the boiling water, reduce heat at least to medium-low & cook for about 15 minutes, or until quite tender.
• Drain the plantains, then first chop them up & put them in a large bowl before mashing them somewhat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk & peanut butter, then add the onion & celery. Season to taste with a bit of salt.
• Add this mixture to the plantains, stirring to mix thoroughly.
• Pour the plantain mixture into a medium-size casserole dish, then sprinkle the top with the breadcrumbs.
• Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

RIPE BANANA (OR PLANTAIN) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Bake the bake bananas (plantains) for about 25 minutes. Let them cool and peel.
• Mash the bananas (plantains) and add the eggs, ground cinnamon, coconut milk, ½ cup melted butter and sugar.
• Pour into a casserole dish.
• In a medium bowl mix all the topping ingredients, until well combined.
• Sprinkle over the banana (plantain) mixture and bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve.