Menu Menu
Pastelón de Amarillos
By Maria Yolanda Rivera
INGREDIENTS:

5-6 very ripe plantains
1-2 cups frying oil (I use canola)
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
(1) 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons sofrito
(1) 14.5-ounce can French-cut green beans
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Salt (to taste)

PREPARATION:

Make the meat
Heat up a pan on medium heat. Add olive oil, the sofrito and the sauce and begin breaking the meat apart and mixing the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Add salt to taste. Continue mixing until the meat is cooked thoroughly, about 15 minutes. Set the meat aside.

Fry the plantains
Cut the ends of the plantain. Using the tip of the knife, slit the peel along the length of the plantain. Peel them and cut them in halves vertically. Then slice each half horizontally to get three slices of plantain from each half. Pour the cooking oil in a pan. You should have about 1/2 inch of oil at the bottom of your pan. Bring the oil to medium heat. Add enough plantain slices to the oil to cover the bottom of the pan and still have room to turn them. You might have to fry them in batches depending on the size of your pan. Fry each slice on both sides until it turns golden. Have a plate ready, covered with some paper towels. Once each batch of plantains is ready, put them on top of the paper towels so the paper absorbs the excess oil.

Layer everything
Cover the bottom of a microwavable glass dish (about 8 inches) with plantain slices. Then cover the plantains with meat and a layer of the canned green beans. Add another layer of plantains. On top of this layer, add more meat, green beans and another layer of plantains. If necessary, continue to make layers until you use all the ingredients. Once you build all the layers, beat the eggs, add the milk, and pour the mix on top. Make sure the eggs cover the entire "pastelón." Put the dish in the microwave and heat for about 10 minutes or until the egg is cooked. If you prefer, bake in oven at 350 degrees about 20 minutes, but make sure the dish you use is oven safe.