Yellow Plantain Casserole

I love this dish, and it is very popular in the Dominican Republic. There are numerous recipes for it. Many people make it with ground meat in between layers along with the cheese. I find that this recipe is a little less heavy, but if you want to add meat or crumbled, seasoned tofu to it you may, just make sure it's well cooked before adding it.

Ingredients:

5 large yellow plantains
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 of a tablespoon of butter
A pinch of salt
All-Spice
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees.

2. Peel plantains and add them to a large pot with water and the salt at medium-high heat. Make sure the water covers them completely. Allow them to cook until soft enough that you can put a knife through them.

3. When the plantains are fully cooked, remove all the water while keeping them in the pot, and add the butter and all the spices. Mash inside the pot.

4. When adding spices, put a healthy dash of allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg - this recipe is fairly forgiving and you can make it as mild or as intense as you want, just taste-test the intensity of your spices.

5. In a bowl, place all the cheeses and mix well.

6. In a non-stick loaf pan add some of the mashed plantains and create a layer. Now add a layer of cheese, then another layer of plantains. Continue until the top, making cheese your last layer.

7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned.

8. When done, take out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

If using ground beef or another meat, add a layer as you build inside of the pan. Remember to make cheese the last layer!