PASTELÓN:
Welcome to the first episode of Criollo Kitchen with César Pérez! In Criollo Kitchen, Food52 Test Kitchen Chef and Recipe Developer, César Pérez, explores the creole flavors of Puerto Rico and the surrounding Latin Caribbean through a New York City lens.

"The ever versatile plantain strikes again. Pastelón has a fuzzy history, and like many other dishes from Puerto Rico and the surrounding region, there are many opinions on what constitutes a proper pastelón. But, whatever you do, do not call this a Puerto Rican (or Dominican) lasagna! I've heard throughout the years that pastelón originally never had cheese until Puerto Ricans were influenced by Italian- Americans in NYC, which resulted in the lasagna-adjacent dish we have today.

Some may even say that this isn't a pastelón at all, but actually a piñón—which I'd have to disagree with, since piñón typically has green beans thrown into the equation. However you approach it, the important thing is the contrast of the sweet plantains against a savory and saucy meat filling, supported by lots of melty cheese. In this version, diced ham and ground pork bring the typically just-ground beef filling to another level." ~César Pérez

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:15 - Let's Talk Plantains
03:15 - The Filling
04:50 - Homemade Adobo
05:33 - Back to the Picadillo
08:18 - Let's Assemble!
10:20 - Taste Test

GET THE RECIPE:
Pastelón: https://f52.co/48xEGsY

PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO:
Smithey Cast Iron Skillet: https://f52.co/44w1dn2
Staub Cast Iron Pan: https://f52.co/3U0L8E2

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