Pastelon de Amarillos (Sweet Plantain Pie)

There’s food and then there's pastelon. It’s comfort food to another level. I’m convinced it can cure all ails. 

It’s actually pretty simple just a bit time consuming. It’s a 3 step process.

Step 1: Brown about 1lb of ground beef (I’ve used turkey and it’s pretty good) with adobo and sofrito.

Adobo can either be salt and pepper and some dry oregano or it can be mashed garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Or you can buy the seasoning from Goya.

The Goya Sofrito can also be bought in the frozen section of the grocery store. We make our own by pureeing: onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper and olive oil and keep it frozen for up to 6 months.

Step 2: Fry about 5 VERY ripe plantains. The darker they are the better, I normally waits until they are black and look like rotten but once you feel back the flesh it’s a sweet and soft bright yellow. The riper they are the better the pastelon tastes. You want to cut them into long strips, fairly thin and just fry them in oil until dark. 

Step 3: Assemble. Once your meat and plantains are done it’s time to layer the pie, lasagna style. Plantains first like a lasagna, cover the bottom of the pan and then a layer of meat. Then, on top of the meat, add cheese (shredded cheese of your liking). Repeat until you run out of ingredients it’s usually 2-3 layers. Depending on the size of your pan. 

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and serve hot/warm. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory, melts in your mouth. Serve alone or with a bed of rice and beans for an authentic Puerto Rican meal.