Duck & Sweet Plantain Lasagna Pastelon
Recipe courtesy of Daniel Ramos, Executive Chef of Quail Ridge Country Club in Boynton, Fla.
Ingredients
- For Duck Filling
- olive oil - 1 Tbsp.
- Sofrito - 1 Tbsp., ready made
- garlic cloves - 2, chopped
- Maple Leaf Farms Ground Duck Meat - 1lb.
- yellow onion - 1/4 cup, small dice
- red bell pepper - 1/4 cup, small dice
- green bell pepper - 1/4 cup small dice
- green olives - 8, sliced
- tomato paste - 1/4 cup
- tomato - 1/4 cup, peeled, seeded and small dice
- sugar - 1/2 tsp.
- kosher salt - 1 tsp.
- ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp.
- cumin - 1/2 tsp., ground
- smoked paprika - 1/2 tsp.
- fresh oregano - 1 Tbsp., chopped
- For Roasted Sofrito Sauce
- tomatoes - 1 lb., cut in half, about 2 medium sized
- garlic cloves - 4, sliced
- yellow onion - 2 ozs., large cut
- red pepper - 1/4 lb., large cut
- olive oil - 2 Tbsps.
- kosher salt - 1/2 tsp.
- black pepper - 1/4 tsp.
- orange juice - 2 Tbsps.
- lime juice - 2 tsps.
- Cilantro - 1 Tbsp., chopped
- For Cilantro Oil
- Cilantro - 1 cup, roughly chopped
- green onion - 1 cup, green part
- olive oil - 1/3 cup
- kosher salt - pinch
- For Pastelon Layers
- Sweet Plantains - 2, yellow turning black
- olive oil - 1 Tbsp.
- Manchengo cheese - 1 1/2 ccups, grated
- eggs - 2, beaten
- For Molding
- metal ring molds - 6 2
Instructions
For Duck Filing
- In a preheated sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sauté the sofrito for 1 minute to bring out its flavors. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the ground duck meat to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika.
- Lower the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the oregano then set aside and let cool.
For Roasted Sofrito Sauce
- On a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil place the tomato halves with the skin side down in the center. Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes.
- In the middle, between the four halves place the large cut onions.
- Lay the large cut peppers around the tomatoes.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the corners of the aluminum foil towards the vegetables to form kind of a bowl to catch the juices. Roast in a 325°F oven for 30 minutes.
- Pour into a blender and add the orange juice and lime juice. Purée on high until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and purée for another 5 seconds. Keep warm.
For Cilantro Oil
- In a blender add the cilantro, green onions and the olive oil. Purée to a semi-smooth consistency. Season with salt and set aside.
For Plantains:
- Peel the plantain and cut into 1/8th of an inch circle slices.
- In a nonstick pan over medium heat add 2 tsps. olive oil. In batches sauté the plantains until lightly caramelized.
- Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Season with a pinch of salt.
To assemble
- Set the ring molds on a parchment lined sheet tray. Spray the paper and the inside of the ring molds with non-stick spray. Divide the duck mixture into six piles about 1/3 of a cup for each portion. Start layering the molds with five plantains on the bottom in a circle pattern. Gently press down to create a sealed bottom. Next, add a layer of meat and 2 tsps. of beaten egg. Then add 1 oz. of grated Manchego cheese. Place another layer of plantains in a circle pattern followed again by the remainder of the 1/3 cup of duck mixture and then the 2 tsps. egg followed by the 1 oz. of grated cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 15-20 minutes; cover each mold with aluminum foil.
- Once cooked through place the final layer of five hot plantains on the top for the presentation layer.
- Place 1/4 cup of the roasted sofrito sauce in the center of the plate. Gently unmold the duck lasagna by running a thin sharp knife along the interior to make for easy unmolding. Place the unmolded duck lasagna in the center. Drizzle the cilantro oil around and garnish with cilantro leaves.