Yaroa

Ingredients

• 4 ripe plantains, in thick diagonal slices
• 300 ml vegetable oil, for frying
• 500 g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 250 g gouda or cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Fry the maduros

   Fry the plantain slices over medium heat until caramelised at the edges, then drain. This is a dish of leftovers made deliberately, and the sweet plantain base is what separates it from any other loaded plate.

   10 min

2. Sofrito

   Soften the onion, garlic and pepper in a spoonful of the frying oil.

   6 min

3. Brown the mince

   Add the mince, tomato purée, oregano and salt and cook until browned and dry.

   12 min

4. The two sauces

   Stir the mayonnaise and ketchup together into the pink sauce every Dominican colmado has behind the counter. It is not a garnish here; it is a layer.

5. Layer and melt

   Layer the plantain, then the meat, then the pink sauce, then all the cheese in an ovenproof dish and bake at 200°C for fifteen minutes until the top is bubbling and browned.

   15 min