Mashed Plantains With Oh Baby Garlic Tomato Shrimp On Top Grilled Flank Steak With Lime And Onions And Quick Rice With Black Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 3 chopped ripe plantains in a saucepan with 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspon kosher salt. Cover with water and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Mash the plantains. Brown 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet, 6 to 10 minutes. Mix into the plantains; add enough of the reserved liquid until creamy. Season with salt, pepper and ground cinnamon.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle plantains with salt and cayenne; drizzle with oil to coat. Arrange, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cut sides of plantains begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Turn plantains; roast 10 minutes more.
• Mash hot plantains on baking sheet with a potato masher until somewhat smooth (some large chunks should remain). Transfer to a serving bowl, and drizzle with lime juice.

Steps:

• For the picadillo: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, adobo, sazón and tomato sauce until combined. Season with salt and pepper and cook, continuing to break up the meat until it is browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Finally, add the cilantro and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• For the plantains: Pour 1 inch of oil into a large saute pan or deep large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Using a sharp knife, trim off both ends of a plantain. Slit a thin line down the plantain, cutting just through the skin, and peel back the skin to remove it. Repeat with the remaining plantains. Slice each plantain lengthwise into 5 to 6 strips.
• Fry the plantains 2 or 3 strips at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Line the sides of the muffin cups with the longer plantain strips, then use trimmed pieces to cover the bottoms of the muffin cups.
• Spoon the picadillo into the plantain-lined muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Top each with a spoonful of the beaten eggs to help them hold together.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges before removing the piononos from the muffin cups. Serve hot or warm.

Steps:

• Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO (once around the pan), and half of the finely chopped onions. Saute for 3 minutes, then season with 2 teaspoons of the cumin and the thyme leaves. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock and raise the heat to bring to a boil. Add the rice and lower the heat to a simmer when a boil resumes. Cover the pot tightly. After 12 minutes, stir in the black beans and replace the cover. Cook for another 6 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, season the rice and beans with salt, and stir to combine, then let stand until ready to serve. While the rice cooks, make the plantains with shrimp and the meat.
• Preheat a grill pan over high heat. The meat can also be prepared in a hot large cast-iron or nonstick skillet if you do not have a grill pan.
• Place the flank steak in a shallow dish and drizzle with EVOO to coat-about 2 tablespoons. Mix the grill seasoning with the tablespoon of cumin (eyeball the measurement in your palm). Add the lime zest to the grill seasoning and cumin. Rub the mixture over the steak evenly. Place the steak on the hot grill or in the hot pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook for 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the juices redistribute for 5 minutes.
• Slit the skins of the plantains from end to end to vent them for microwave cooking. Wrap each in wax paper, twisting the paper at the ends. Microwave the plantains for 4 to 5 minutes together or 90 seconds individually on High.
• While the plantains and steak cook, place a medium nonstick skillet on the heat over a high flame. Add 2 tablespoons of the EVOO and the sliced onions. Sear the onions and heat through, but leave a bite to them. Place on a serving platter and cover with foil to keep them warm. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to between medium high and medium. Add 2 tablespoons of the EVOO and the remaining finely chopped onions, the bell peppers, garlic, and shrimp.
• Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest. Cook until the shrimp are firm and the peppers begin to soften, 4 minutes or so. Add half of the lemon juice, the tomato sauce, and parsley. Turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
• Peel and mash the steaming hot plantains with the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock and a drizzle of EVOO. Season the plantains with salt and pile on a platter or dinner plates, then top with garlicky shrimp and tomatoes. Very thinly slice the cooked steak on an angle, working against the grain. Squeeze lime juice over the meat and arrange over the reserved cooked sliced onions on the serving platter. Fluff up the rice and black beans a bit, transfer them to a bowl, and pass at the table.
• Plantains look like green bananas and are available in the produce department.