Pastelon

-Olive oil-1 or 2 tbs
-Ripe Plantains (almost black skinned)-4, sliced length-wise
-Veggies- 2 Peppers (red/green/yellow/orange), 1 large onion, 1 large tomato—all diced
-2 14oz cans of black beans
- I bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
-Garlic- 4 large cloves, minced
-1 cup shredded cheese- ant salty dry cheese or jack or cheddar-Salt to taste

Ripe plantains

-Bechamel Sauce (recipe in the end)

1. Heat a skillet, add oil. Once hot, add the onions, , green pepper, tomato and garlic. Let this mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Add cilantro. This mixture is the traditional Cuban or Latin/Caribbean sofrito- gravy which is the base for most Cuban dishes. I like it chunky and don’t blend the sofrito.
2. Once the sofrito is cooked, add the other pepper and the black beans. Cook for about 3 min. Add salt, mix and switch the stove off. Now this is the veggie mixture
3. Heat the oven at 400F. Spray the 11”×13” baking dish with PAM or brush with oil. Now arrange the sliced plantains in the dish breath wise. Next layer the veggie mixture to cover the plantain base. Now pour sauce over the veggie mixture. Repeat this layering again-plantains, veggie mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

4. Bake in the oven for about 45min until the cheese turns golden and bubbly.
5. Let it cool completely before hogging!

Thats what it looks like!

Bechamel sauce

-3 tbs butter (or olive oil for figure friendliness!)
-3 tbs all purpose flour
-3 cups milk (2% or whole)
-1/2 cup jack cheese, shredded
-I medium onion, finely chopped
-1 cup mushroom, thinly sliced
-salt to taste

1. Heat the butter/olive oil in a skillet. Once hot, add the onions, sauté until translucent.

Add the salt now. Add the mushrooms and let it cook till it starts to release water, for

about a minute.

2. Now add the flour, let it cook for about 2 minutes. Add the milk now, slowly whisking. Add the cheese now. Simmer the stove and let the sauce cook until done, about 8 min. Taste for salt and sauce like consistency.

This a traditional French sauce with a twist. Mushrooms and onions add great flavor to this otherwise bland sauce.

I try to make everything flavorful and that means thinking outside the skillet!