Pastelón (Sweet Plantain Lasagna)

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
80ml sofrito
500g lean minced beef
1 tsp sazon seasoning
1 tsp adobo seasoning
3 bay leaves
420g tinned tomato sauce
60g pimento olives, sliced in half crossways
salt, to taste
4–6 ripe plantains (ie brown to black in colour)
500g rapeseed oil
2 eggs
225g mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated

Method:

Begin by preparing the picadillo. Place a pan over medium heat. Once hot add the olive oil and use to fry the onion and red bell pepper for about 6 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the sofrito and crumble in the minced beef. Continue cooking until the beef has browned. To finish the picadillo, scatter over and stir in the sazón and adobo seasonings, bay leaves, tomato sauce, and olives, then bring to a brisk simmer. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook for 10 minutes or until beef is fully cooked. Season to taste with salt.

Pre-heat oil in a deep fryer or wok to 180C. For the plantains, start by peeling the plantains and slicing thinly lengthwise to create long strips. Fry the strips in batches in the hot oil until they are all deep golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Pre-heat the oven to 175C and grease a loaf tin with oil or cooking spray. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Place a layer a bit of picadillo on the base of your loaf tin, top with strips of plantain, some of the egg, more picadillo and grated mozzarella. Repeat these layers until you've used up all the ingredients run. Finish with a generous layer of cheese then transfer to the centre of your oven bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Let the pastelón cool for at least 10 minutes so that everything settles and the molten cheese firms before slicing.

Serve with ensalada verde (green salad) and/or pique.