← Nouns Cooking · Caribbean

Ingredients

• 5 very ripe plantains (skins mostly black), peeled and sliced lengthwise into 4 strips each
• 120 ml neutral oil, for frying
• 500 g Minced beef
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (or culantro)
• 200 ml tomato sauce or passata
• 50 g pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 200 g grated mozzarella or mild cheddar
• 10 g butter, for the dish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the plantain strips in batches for 2–3 min per side, until golden and soft. Drain on paper.
2. Pour off most of the oil. Brown the beef over medium-high heat for 6–8 min, breaking it up, then add the onion, pepper, garlic and coriander and cook for 4 min.
3. Stir in the passata, olives, cumin, oregano and salt and simmer for 10 min, until thick and not watery. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).
4. Butter a 20 × 30 cm baking dish. Lay in a third of the plantain, drizzle over a little egg, then spread half the beef and scatter a third of the cheese.
5. Repeat with plantain, the rest of the beef and more cheese, then finish with the last plantain. Pour over the remaining egg and top with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 30 min, until set and golden on top. Rest for 10 min before cutting into squares.

Tips

• The riper the plantains, the sweeter and softer the layers; yellow-with-black-spots is the minimum.
• Contains egg and dairy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste the Islands 196 flavors Delish D'Lites