Jibarito Sandwich

Jibaritos are steak sandwiches with typical Puerto Rican fixings that are served on fried plantains in place of bread.

Ingredients :

For the steak and marinade

• 3 medium limes, or about 1/3 cup, in juice

• Vegetable oil, 1/4 cup

• 4 garlic cloves crushed into a paste

• Adobo, 1 1/2 tablespoons (homemade or store-bought)

• 2 teaspoons of powdered onion

• Oregano, dry, 1 teaspoon

• 1 teaspoon of cumin, ground

• Black pepper, half a teaspoon

• 2 pounds of thin-cut, boneless ribeye steaks (about 4 thin-cut steaks)

For the ketchup-mayo

• 50 ml of mayonnaise

• Ketchup, 1/3 cup

• 1 lime's juice, or about 1 1/2 tablespoons,

• 1 teaspoon of garlic granules

• 14 teaspoon adobo (or kosher salt)

Regarding the jibarito sandwich

• 4 medium-sized green bananas

• Oil from plants, used to fry plantains

• 4 to 8 slices of mozzarella

• Leaves of green leaf lettuce

• 1 beefsteak tomato, cut into slices, and 1/2 red onion, cut into rings

STEPS :

     1. Make the marinade for the steak :

Lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic paste, adobo, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and black pepper should all be combined in a quart mason jar. To ensure that the components are thoroughly blended, screw the lid on firmly and shake the jar briskly for 40–1 minute.

     2. The steaks in a marinade :

Put the marinade in a zip-top food storage bag or a shallow dish. Flip each ribeye steak to coat it before adding it to the marinade. For at least an hour and up to 12 hours, marinate covered in the fridge.

     3. Mayo and ketchup combined :

Mayonnaise, ketchup, lime juice, granulated garlic, and adobo are blended together in a 1-quart mixing dish.

The mayo-ketchup should be covered and chilled until you're ready to assemble the sandwiches. The mayo-ketchup can be made five days ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

     4. Plantains should be peeled and cut :

Peel the plantains by trimming 1/2 inch from each end to remove the stems 20 minutes before you intend to fry the steaks. Cut a slit along the length of the plantain's backside using the point of a paring knife. Push up the peel of the plantain using the meaty portion of your thumb.

Peel the plantain and then cut it in half lengthwise. The remaining plantains should be repeated.

     5. Set up your frying area :

2 inches of vegetable oil should be used in a 12-inch frying pan, which should be heated at medium heat.

Prepare a drainage station by setting a cooling rack over a sheet pan or line a sheet pan with paper towels to soak up the frying oil as you wait for the oil to heat.

When you're finished frying the tostones, place them in your oven set to "warm."

     6. Cook the plantains :

Add four plantain slabs (you'll fry these in two batches) when the oil reaches 330°F, or when a wooden spoon handle creates tiny bubbles when placed in the oil.

The plantains should be fried for two minutes before being carefully turned over with tongs. Cook the plantains for an additional 2 minutes, or until a knifetip can pass through them without encountering any resistance. Utilizing tongs, remove the plantains from the oil and set them onto the sheet pan to soak up any extra oil.

Continue by using the second batch of plantains.

     7. Take the steaks out of the refrigerator :

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them slightly warm up before you smash the plantains.

     8. Break apart the plantains :

While you smash the plantains, turn up the heat on the oil in the frying pan.

Place the slab of plantains on a cutting board, then cover it with wax or parchment paper. To smash the plantain to a thickness of 1/3 inch, use a heavy pan (a cast iron skillet works best for this).

The bottom of the plantain should be removed off the cutting board using a knife or narrow spatula so that it can be placed back on the rack.

The remaining plantains should be flattened by smashing them.

     9. Plantains should be fried :

Return the flattened plantains to the oil once it reaches 350°F (180°C) to finish frying them. To prevent overcrowding the pan, you will need to work in groups of two or three.

The plantains should be fried for 2 minutes on each side, or until the exteriors are crispy and the edges are gently brown.

Using a pair of tongs, remove the tostones from the oil and place them on a rack to drain while you continue to fry the other plantains.

The sheet pan should be kept heated in the oven once all the tostones have been fried while the steaks are being seared.

     10. Steaks are seared :

A 12-inch or larger skillet should be heated to medium-high. Pour one tablespoon of vegetable oil into the pan after heat is visible coming from it.

Lay the steaks in the pan gently and press them into the surface with your fingertips or a pair of tongs. An even sear is ensured by this touch. The beef is seared for 4 minutes (for medium-rare). The steaks should be turned over with a pair of tongs and seared for a further 4 minutes.

     11. The steaks should rest :

The steaks should be taken out of the pan and given five minutes to rest.

     12. Put the jibarito sandwiches together :

Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mayo-ketchup mixture onto each tortilla before assembling the sandwiches. On the bottom of 4 tostones, arrange a slice of cheese, then 1 piece of steak, a leaf of lettuce, 2 slices of tomato, and a few slices of onion. Add another piece of cheese to the top of these before adding the top tostón.

Right away serve the jibarito.

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