Pastelón (Sweet Plantain and Picadillo Bake)
Layers of fried sweet plantains, beef picadillo and melted cheese, baked together like a Puerto Rican lasagna.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Pastelón, also called piñón in some towns, is Puerto Rico's answer to lasagna: long slices of fried sweet plantain instead of pasta, a savory beef picadillo in the middle and melted cheese holding it all together. The mix of sweet and salty is what makes it so hard to stop at one square.
The Thermomix® TM7™ cooks the picadillo on reverse while you fry the plantains on the stove, and the oven brings everything together. A few beaten eggs bind the layers, so the squares come out clean once the pastelón rests for a few minutes. Serve it with a green salad or white rice.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Pastelón (Sweet Plantain and Picadillo Bake)
Makes: One 23 cm (9 in) square pan, 8 squares
- Prep25 min
- Cook1 h 5 min
- Total1 h 30 min
- Serves8
Ingredients
For the picadillo
For the layers
Instructions
- Place the red pepper in the mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 4. Add the oil and sofrito and sauté 5 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
- Add the ground beef in small pieces, place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup and sauté 8 min/120°C (250°F)/reverse/speed 1.
- Add the tomato sauce, alcaparrado, sazón, oregano, cumin, salt and raisins (if using) and cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, with the simmering basket on the lid, until thick and not watery.
- Meanwhile, peel the plantains and cut each one lengthwise into 4 slices about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick. In a large skillet on the stove, fry them in 1 cm (1/2 in) of oil over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 23 cm (9 in) square baking pan. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the milk.
- Lay half of the plantain slices in the pan, pour half of the egg over them, spread all the picadillo on top and sprinkle with half of the cheese.
- Cover with the rest of the plantains, pour on the remaining egg and finish with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and the egg is set. Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Tips
- Prefer not to fry? Brush the plantain slices with oil and bake them on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, turning once.
- Assemble the pastelón up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate it, then bake it 10 minutes longer.
- Already have beef picadillo in the freezer? Use about 4 cups and skip steps 1 to 3.
- Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge. Reheat the squares in the oven or the microwave.
