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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Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains) for Dummies

I made maduros once. And burnt them. Bad.

So, while I've checked the recipe off my list, I know I will be faced with the inevitable task of making maduros as a side dish one day. But, as of right now, I can't help anyone much except to give you the advice I was given AFTER the arsonation of the maduros.

Advice? Yes, advice. The advice I didn't get before embarking on my fried sweet plantain mission from my friends on Facebook. Where were you when I needed you?

1. Black plantains required. (Read: black, mushy, soft, almost ready to throw away). Don't buy the plantains on the day you want to make maduros. They won't be ready. Buy them a few days early with black spots on them. They'll get to the right stage right in time for your frying.
2. Do not take your eyes off the maduros. At any point. Ever. One eye off the pan and they will burn. (Mica)
3. Do not use a cast iron skillet. Gets too hot and when your eye wanders, you get instant carbón in the pan. (Dina)
4. Remove platanitos from the oil when they are golden, not when they look ready. When they look ready in the oil, you've gone too far. (Dina, again. All-maduro knowing Dina)
5. Don't overcrowd the pan. Making them in batches is ok. You have more space to turn them if you don't overcrowd the pan. (Nancy)

And, of course, you're all thinking to give the same advice Raquel gave: buy the frozen maduros for the microwave. Taste just like the real thing.

If you have more tips to add for a Maduros for Dummies special insert at some point in the future, please post it below in the comments. Happy maduro'ing!