Pastelon

Ingredients

• 6 very ripe plantains, skins mostly black
• 500 ml vegetable oil, for frying
• 500 g ground beef
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp sofrito
• 1 sachet sazon con culantro y achiote
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 120 ml tomato sauce
• 60 g pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tsp salt
• 250 g mozzarella or mild cheddar, shredded
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100 g green beans, cut short and blanched

Before you cook

• Peel the plantains by trimming the ends, scoring the skin lengthwise and prising it away.
• Slice each plantain lengthwise into strips about 6 mm thick.
• Slice the olives and drain the capers.
• Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt.
• Grease a 23 cm square baking dish.

Steps

1. Heat the frying oil in a wide pan to 175 C (350 F).
2. Fry the plantain strips in batches for 2 minutes a side until deep gold and soft.
3. Drain the fried plantains on kitchen paper.
4. Pour the olive oil into a separate pan over medium heat and add the sofrito.
5. Cook the sofrito for 3 minutes until it smells sweet and the raw garlic edge has gone.
6. Add the ground beef and break it up, cooking for 7 minutes until browned.
7. Stir in the sazon, oregano, tomato sauce, olives, capers and salt.
8. Simmer for 10 minutes until the mixture is thick rather than watery, then take it off the heat.
9. Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
10. Line the base of the greased dish with a third of the plantain strips, overlapping the edges.
11. Spread half the beef over the plantains and scatter over a third of the cheese.
12. Add another layer of plantains, then the rest of the beef, the green beans and another third of the cheese.
13. Finish with a final layer of plantains laid neatly across the top.
14. Pour the beaten egg evenly over the surface and scatter on the last of the cheese.
15. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and the centre is set.
16. Rest the pastelon for 15 minutes before cutting, or the layers will slide apart.