Puerto Rican Piononos Recipes

PIONONOS

Steps:

• For the picadillo: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, adobo, sazón and tomato sauce until combined. Season with salt and pepper and cook, continuing to break up the meat until it is browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Finally, add the cilantro and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• For the plantains: Pour 1 inch of oil into a large saute pan or deep large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Using a sharp knife, trim off both ends of a plantain. Slit a thin line down the plantain, cutting just through the skin, and peel back the skin to remove it. Repeat with the remaining plantains. Slice each plantain lengthwise into 5 to 6 strips.
• Fry the plantains 2 or 3 strips at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Line the sides of the muffin cups with the longer plantain strips, then use trimmed pieces to cover the bottoms of the muffin cups.
• Spoon the picadillo into the plantain-lined muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Top each with a spoonful of the beaten eggs to help them hold together.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges before removing the piononos from the muffin cups. Serve hot or warm.

LOBSTER PIONONO

Steps:

• For the plantains: Cut off ends and peel plantain. Slice lengthwise at 1/4-inch intervals. Pan fry lightly on both sides then drain on paper towels. While warm, curve one end to the other and pinch to form circles.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan, and saute lobster, sofrito, and tomato. Add the tomato juice and let simmer for 10 minutes. Finish with cilantro, salt and pepper. Add bread crumbs and stir until mixture is thick enough to spoon into the plantain "shells". Chill the mixture over an ice bath.
• To finish the pionono, fill round plantain "shells" with lobster mixture. Preheat 1/4-inch of vegetable oil in a saute pan. Dredge piononos through flour then beaten egg. Pan fry until brown on 1 side, then turn over and finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes.

PUERTO RICAN PIONONOS

Steps:

• Begin, by peeling and slicing the sweet plantains. Slice each plantain horizontally into thin strips. One large plantain should yield 4-5 strips.
• In a shallow fry pan with hot oil, fry the plantains for 4 minutes on each side. Color should resemble a golden, caramel color.
• Remove plantains from oil and cool on a plate lined with paper towel sheets.
• Grab a cupcake baking pan and wrap the plantain strips around individual cupcake molds. Tear a small piece of plantain and press into each cupcake mold. This small piece with act as a base.
• Next fill each mold with the cooked beef picadillo. Generously fill each cup to the rim.
• In a small bowl, beat eggs and then pour a small amount of the mixture over each plantain cup. Allow the egg mixture to soak in. This will bind the pionono together as one solid cup.
• Top each pionono will a sprinkle of cheese (optional) and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Serve with a garnish of cilantro and enjoy!

PASTELON (PUERTO RICAN LAYERED CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Remove meat from pan; drain fat.
• Place tomato sauce, sofrito, green olives, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, recao, and oregano in the skillet. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Return ground beef to skillet; reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Pour oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry plantain slices until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Beat eggs thoroughly in a bowl; add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Line the bottom of the baking pan with half the plantains, overlapping as needed. Layer ground beef mixture, green beans, and remaining plantains; pour eggs on top. Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until eggs are set and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.

PIONONOS

Steps:

• Slice plantains lengthwise into 8 strips. Fry in vegetable oil until golden & remove. Add olive oil & stir in sirloin. Add next 3 ingredients & stir. Add remaining ingredients except eggs & cook 4 minutes.
• Coil plantains into 3" circles & secure with toothpicks. Pack centers with meat mixture to make firm patties. Coat patties with beaten eggs & deep fry until golden brown.
• Serve with rice & salsa.

PIONONOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut ends from plantains and peel fruit. Cut each plantain lengthwise into 4 slices. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté slices in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side (use 2 spatulas to turn slices). With a spatula transfer plantains as sautéed to brown paper to drain. When plantains are cool enough to handle, shape each slice into a ring, with ends overlapping by about 1 inch, and secure ends with a wooden pick. Arrange rings, without touching, in a large baking dish and fill centers with black beans.
• Bake rolls in middle of oven until beans are heated through, about 10 minutes. Mound Monterey Jack on top of beans and bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.