PUERTO RICAN LASAGNA RECIPES

Steps:

• Make the sofrito: Peel 4 garlic cloves and place in a food processor; pulse to chop. Coarsely chop 1 medium onion, 4 ají dulce peppers or 1 red bell pepper, 1 Cubanelle pepper or green bell pepper, and 1 small bunch culantro or cilantro and add to food processor. Pulse until combined but still slightly textured (like a tapenade). Set aside.
• Using the tip of your knife, make shallow lengthwise cuts in the skin of 6 ripe (yellow) plantains (about 4 lb.) to score, then peel. Slice each plantain in half crosswise, then slice in half lengthwise to make 4 pieces for each. Halve each piece lengthwise again (you should end up with 8 thin slices per plantain). If you're feeling fancy, you can also skip the crosswise slice and go for thin, full-length plantain slices, like in the photo.
• Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, fry plantains in a single layer, turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain, sprinkle with kosher salt, and let cool. Reserve oil for another use or discard. Reserve skillet.
• Slice ½ cup pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives crosswise and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in reserved skillet over medium. Add 1 cup sofrito (freeze extra sofrito in ice cube trays, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container; use whenever you’re starting a recipe with sofrito!) and 1 cup tomato sauce and cook, stirring, until sofrito begins to soften, 5 minutes. Add 1 lb. lean ground beef and 1 Tbsp. homemade or store-bought adobo seasoning and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add ½ cup raisins, ¼ cup dry red wine, and reserved olives. Cover skillet (use a baking sheet if you don’t have a lid), reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. This is your picadillo.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 13x9" baking dish with oil. Whisk 3 large eggs in a small bowl. Arrange a third of the fried plantain slices in baking dish in a single layer, piecing together any broken ones. Top with half of the picadillo, then ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat with half of remaining plantains, remaining picadillo, and another ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Top with remaining plantains. Pour whisked eggs evenly over and let sink in.
• Bake piñon, uncovered, until set, 20–25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining ½–1 cup shredded mozzarella (depending on your level of ). Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Let piñon cool 5–10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Steps:

• Prepare the plantains: Line a sheet pan with paper towels; set aside. Cut off the ends of each plantain. With the tip of a knife, score plantains lengthwise and peel off the skin. Using a serrated knife or chef’s knife, cut each plantain in half lengthwise, and then halve again lengthwise so you end up with 24 long slices. (If some of the slices break or are unevenly shaped, that’s OK! Carry on.)
• In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat 1 cup oil over medium-high to between 350 and 375 degrees. Working with 4 to 6 slices at a time, depending on what fits, fry plantains until deep golden brown, turning halfway through, about 6 minutes total. Transfer fried plantains to the prepared sheet pan and cook remaining plantains; set aside. (Let oil cool, then strain and reserve for another use.)
• Prepare the sofrito: Put onion, bell pepper, ají dulce chiles (if using), garlic, cilantro and culantro (if using), in a food processor; blend until it becomes a rough, wet purée. (You should have about 1 cup sofrito).
• Prepare the picadillo: In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until it shimmers. Add the sofrito and cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is evenly cooked and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Push meat mixture to one side, and carefully tilt skillet so that the fat from the meat collects at the bottom of the tilted pan; spoon off and discard as much of this excess fat as you can.
• Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes fall apart and the liquid starts to reduce, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in olives and raisins, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Picadillo can be made up to 2 days in advance. Rewarm it in a pan on the stove before proceeding with recipe.)
• Prepare the pastelón: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Lay half the fried plantain slices along the bottom of the baking dish crosswise, piecing any broken pieces together to form an even layer. (If there are small gaps in the plantain layer, this is OK.) Top with half the picadillo (about 2 cups), smoothing it into an even layer, then sprinkle half the cheese on top in an even layer. Repeat with another layer of plantains then the remaining picadillo. Pour the whisked eggs evenly over the picadillo layer and spread it so it settles down into the pastelón. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake the pastelón until the egg is cooked, the cheese is melted and the layers are set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot.