Carne con Platano

As a follow up to an interview with Trina (@MiamiDish) for WLRN's Under the Sun, we scheduled a cooking session, with Trina choosing the dish for me to try.

Recipe #72: Carne con Platano

I didn't even know this was in The Project. What a hidden little gem of a recipe.

Something magical happens when the platano and beef stew together in the pressure cooker. Much different than its Cuban cousin, Carne con Papas.

Because you use a platano pintón (a plantain that isn't mushy ripe, or maduro, nor very hard, or verde), there's a starchy sweetness that blends into the sauce that pops forth a tang with every bite.

Paired with killer rice, this is a big winner.

This second interview with Trina, that included the every day sounds of our crazy house, was fun. The kids ran around, the dog barked, the hubby peeled platanos and weighed in on his thoughts about The Project. My parents made a cameo, just in time to enjoy the meal.

When Trina asked my mom about the worst recipe so far, she referenced Huevos a la Florentina, which we all quickly remembered as really being a bad one.

Funny how we keep moving forward, recipe to recipe, and hardly stop to look back. Thanks, Trina, for helping us reflect on the past two and a half years. And how much more we have ahead.


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217: Carne con Platano

Ingredients:


2 lbs beef, cut into 2" pieces (beef for stews, as it is commonly labeled)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
1 large white onion
3 garlic cloves
1 green pepper
Parsley
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 cup dry cooking wine
3 green plantains (medium ripe)
Juice from one lime

1. In a food processor, blend the onion and garlic.
2. Remove the onion and garlic and pour into a bowl.
3. Add the green pepper and parsley to the food processor and blend.
4. Remove the green pepper and parsley and pour into a bowl.
5. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker.
6. Add the meat and fry until browned on both sides.


7. Add the dry spices and the bay leaf to the meat and mix well.


8. Add the onion and garlic to the meat and mix well.


9. Add the green pepper and parsley to the meat and mix well.


10. Peel and cut the plantains and toss in the lime juice while the meat and seasonings cook for a few minutes. (lime juice optional)
11. Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, cooking wine and plantains to the meat.


12. When everything comes to a boil, top the pressure cooker and let the pressure set.
13. When the pressure is set, lower the heat to medium-low and let cook for 45 minutes.


Serve over white rice. Serves 6-8.



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Carne con Papas

From the moment I started this project, my husband had two requests: Carne con Papas and Fricase de Pollo. I’m not only proud because I have only one more to create for him, but because this first one, literally Meat and Potatoes, was as perfect as the classic he was hoping for.

I did a grocery run during lunch to gather the ingredients. It was a Tuesday and I was determined to have us eating before 8 p.m. I wish, of course, that we’d be eating during the week at a decent 6:30 p.m., but, alas, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s going to take some more discipline on my part to leave the office right at 5 p.m. in order to have us eating earlier. It’s a big struggle.

I tend to get confused with what type of meat to use for what so when I asked the butcher lady what meat I’d need to use for Carne con Papas, she quickly escorted me to pre-cut beef chunks labeled, Beef for Stew / Carne Para Guisar.

Easy enough. Carne con Papas is on.

Recipe #75: Carne con Papas

This recipe is so simple. It’s straightforward and best when served alongside killer (white) rice. I didn’t even have to cut up the meat because I found it in perfect squares in the grocery store.

I threw the meat in with hot oil and when the meat was golden and had released its grease, I added salt, pepper, paprika, a bay leaf and the Cuban trilogy.

When all that is nice and sofrito-ed, add in a can of tomato sauce, white wine (using the tomato sauce can to measure) and water (using the tomato sauce can again). Leave on medium heat until boiling and then add in the potatoes and capers. I left it on low for 30 minutes so I could make the killer rice and sit down for a few minutes.

This is a good make-ahead meal and a good weeknight meal, if you’ve got everything chopped up and ready. It could take you about 45 minutes to whip this up, which gives you time to start on some homework or have your hubby bathe the kids.

A word of caution – your house will smell very Cuban when you make this recipe. It hits every scent from my childhood and I’m sure it will do the same for your home. Maybe I should pitch my cousin at Soy Delicious candles this scent idea – Carne con Papas candle, anyone? Sofrito smell, anytime. Any takers?