Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Piñon, Part Deux

I have to admit that the first time I tried making Piñon (a Puerto Rican beef and plantain omelette), it didn't come out as good looking as I hoped nor as delicious as my mom's. But I'm not the type of person that gives up easily. I revamped the recipe and tried it again, this time cooking it entirely on the stove top. This time, it came out very delicious and my husband even ate the plantains!

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 3" pieces
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 Red onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 lb. ground beef
  • 1 TBSP. Sofrito
  • 1 tsp. Goya Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning without pepper
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 10 Spanish olives, sliced
  • 1 TBSP. capers, rinsed and chopped
  • 6 eggs, room temperature and beaten with 1 tsp. milk + 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • A container of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
  • Cooked white rice

  1. First, in a small non-stick frying pan, heat up 1 tablespoon I Can't Believe it's Not Butter (ICBINB) on medium-high. Add half of the sliced, ripe plantains and fry for 2 minutes per side, careful not to burn. Remove first batch and drain in paper towels. Fry up the rest of the plaintains. Set aside.
  2. In a 10" non-stick skillet, heat up 1 tsp. olive oil on medium. Add the red onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook for 8 minutes. Then add the sofrito, Goya seasoning, tomato sauce, olives and capers. Lower temperature to medium again and cook, uncovered for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and put beef mixture in a seperate container and set aside.
  4. Clean the skillet with a paper towel and put back on the burner on medium. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ICBINB. When melted, add half of the beaten egg batter. Swirl egg batter around, as if making an omelette, and keep running a plastic spatula around the edges to keep it from sticking. Cover the skillet and let it set for about a minute. Do not flip egg omelette over.
  5. When the egg looks like it's almost fully cooked, scatter the plantains over it then top with the beef mixture. Cover and let it cook for another minute or so.
  6. Get a plate slightly smaller than the 10" skillet (it must fit inside the skillet). Uncover the beef mixture and place the plate over it. Remove the skillet from heat. Put one or two kitchen towels over the plate and the skillet and quickly turn skillet over and the beef and egg should come right off.Set plate aside and clean skillet with paper towel and return to burner.
  7. Place 2 to 3 TBSP of ICBINB on medium heat skillet and cook the rest of the egg, swirling it around the entire pan and running a spatula around it. Cover to let it set and cook, about 3 minutes.
  8. When egg is ready, slowly slide the other half of the beef and egg over the egg. You are basically forming an egg sandwich. Cover the skillet and turn off the burner.
  9. When ready to serve, place a larger serving plate over the skillet. Place towels around both so you don't burn yourself and turn it over (see step 6).
  10. Cut piñon into slices and serve with a side of white rice. This makes a great, hardy lunch or dinner.

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