Cuban Style Beef And Plantain Pie Recipes

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)

Steps:

• Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
• Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.

CLASSIC CUBAN-STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic, onion, and green bell pepper in the hot oil until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Crumble ground beef into the skillet; cook and stir until browned completely, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir olives, raisins, capers, tomato sauce, sazon seasoning, cumin, sugar, and salt through the ground beef mixture.
• Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until the mixture is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.

CUBAN STYLE BEEF AND PLANTAIN PIE

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up clumps, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add onion, chopped red and green bell peppers, salt, pepper, bay leaves and achiote and cook until vegetables are softened and meat is browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved juice, olives, tomato sauce, raisins and vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is flavorful and most liquid has evaporated, about 35 minutes. Transfer filling to a bowl to cool and set aside while you prepare the plantains. Peel plantains and cut diagonally into 1/3 inch slices. In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium high heat and sauté plantains in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side, adding remaining oil as needed. Transfer cooked plantains to paper towels to drain. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 3 quart baking dish or casserole. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and water until blended. Pour half of egg-water mixture into baking dish and layer bottom and sides of dish with 1/3 of the plantains. Spread half of the beef filling over the plantains and sprinkle with half of the parmesan cheese. Top with half of the remaining plantains and then spread remaining beef filling, topping with remaining parmesan, and ending with remaining plantains. Pour remaining egg-water mixture over top of pie, tilting to distribute evenly. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in middle of oven until hot throughout and bubbly around edges, about 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes before serving pie. (Pie can be inverted onto a serving platter for a nice presentation.) Yield: 6 servings