Pastelon

I love this dish -- its a sort of Puerto Rican lasagne.

Ingredients:
4 plantains, very ripe, peeled and sliced into strips
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons adobo
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 envelope sazon
2 bay leaves
8 green stuffed olives, halved
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded white cheese (like Monterey Jack)
2 tablespoons olive oil
vegetable oil

Preparation:

Prehat oven to 350 degrees. Butter square pan or casserole dish with butter.

Combine in a bowl beef, onion, green pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well (with your hands).

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat; add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Add meat mixture. Cook until brown and the juices bubble up. Add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Set aside.

Heat a large frying pan and add vegetable oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Fry the plantain strips for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden and slightly crispy. Drain on paper towels on a plate. You will have to do this in several batches. Set aside.

To assemble pastelon:
In your prepared pan, start with a layer of plantains, then beef, then some of the shredded cheese. You want to finish with cheese and plantains. Beat the 3 eggs with the 2 Tbs of milk and pour over the pastelon. Let sit for a minute or so allowing the egg to soak in. Top off with a bit more cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Tip on plantains:

You want them quite ripe for this dish. I usually buy mine a week or so before I plan to make this. The skins will be nearly all black when they are ready. To peel a plantain, cut both ends off, make a vertical slit down the length of the plantain and peel the skin off.