by Robert Giles

One of my favorite things about working at Colonial is the fact that we have people from all across the country and even outside of the country working here. Roberto is from Puerto Rico and has been working for Colonial for 13 years now. Sometimes, he will ask me to cook a dish from his home called pastelón. For this blog post, I thought it would be a fun dish for others to try and it pairs up with some fantastic wines.

The idea behind the dish is a simple one, combine savory meats with the slight sweetness of ripe plantains. From this base you can go into several different directions depending on the types of meats you use, even adding vegetables if you so desire.

I usually like to keep it fairly simple with ground or shredded beef and shredded chicken. And don't be scared by the plantains, while they do have a sweetness to them it won't overpower the dish and the consistency will be similar to potatoes.

When planning for dinner you will want to set aside a little bit of time for the preparation but once everything is assembled you can just let it bake and go on about your evening.

When pairing this one with wine I like to look at softer wines without strong tannins but have solid fruit flavors. My go-to is Silk and Spice red blend with its strong dark fruit flavors and hints of pepper to complement the strong flavors of the casserole.

For something with a slightly stronger kick, you could opt for Vietti Barbera d'Asti with its red cherry notes and crisp acidity.

This may be a slightly more involved recipe than some of our other Weeknight Specials but it will give you plenty for a small family dinner and can be made ahead of time as part of your weekly meal prepping. While it has some familiarity in its construction, the plantains bring a different experience. And paired with some fantastic wines this may just become a new favorite casserole for you.

• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 1 lb. of shredded chicken
• 1 large yellow onion
• 6 ripe plantains
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• (1) 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
• (1) 16 oz. bag of shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the plantains slice lengthwise into thin strips and then air-fry or deep fry them until golden brown.

Roughly chop the onion and bell pepper then finely chop the garlic and celery. Combine in a bowl and set to the side

Brown the ground beef, then add half of the chopped vegetables and sauté for two minutes. Add the taco seasoning per the package instructions. Once done set to the side.

In the same skillet sauté the shredded chicken and the rest of the chopped vegetables for two minutes. Add the enchilada sauce and simmer until the sauce has slightly reduced.

In a 9 x 13 pan place a layer of plantains. Top with the ground beef mixture and one third of the cheese. Place another layer of plantains followed by the chicken and another one third of the cheese. Place the final layer of plantains and the last of the cheese and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for fifty minutes. Remove and let cool for five minutes before serving.