Have you heard of or had a jibarito before? No? Well, if you’re not a Chicagoan, I’ll let this pass. But if you are, what are you doing with your life? Go get one now! Or better yet, make them for dinner tonight.
But before you do, let me tell you a neat little story about my search for a “traditional” jibarito. Long story short, I tried my first jibarito at a local Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago about three years ago. One bite into that delicious plantain sandwich had me wanting to go to Puerto Rico and have my hand in all the food Puerto Rico has to offer. Shortly after, I packed up my bags and flew to the island with the sole mission to find the “traditional” jibarito. To my dismay, every Puerto Rican server seemed to not know what I was talking about whenever I asked if they had jibaritos on their menu. I got the weirdest reactions, especially because jibarito is slang for mountain-dwelling peasant. However, I didn’t totally embarrass myself since in recent years the term has gained a positive connotation. Unfortunately for me, I came back home thinking I had failed miserably. I also brought back a need to find out where all the confusion lied, so I started reading about them. Interestingly enough, I learned that they were invented here at home, so it turns out my first jibarito was, in fact, a traditional one. Ha! Moral of the story is read before you make assumptions. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the jibarito recipe for your instant gratification! Enjoy!
- 2 Green Plantains
- ½ lb. Thinly Sliced Beef Eye Round Steaks
- 1 tomato
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt to taste
- Mayo (we prefer Primal Kitchen Mayo for its healthy fats)
- Butterhead Lettuce or lettuce of choice
- ~ 2 tablespoons coconut oil (for frying)
- Cut both ends of plantains and peel. Cut the plantain lengthwise and again in the middle. You should have 4 pieces.
- Soak the plantains in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet with a tablespoon of coconut oil under medium heat.
- Dry plantains with a paper towel then put in the skillet to fry for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until slightly golden. Make sure not to overcrowd the skillet.
- Remove from skillet and let them rest for about 3 minutes.
- Using a tortilla press or a flat plate against a cutting board, press each plantain piece until flat.
- Heat up large skillet again under medium heat and add more coconut oil. Add each flatten plantain and fry for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and let them rest on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Season the thin steaks with sea salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Cook thin steaks on a large skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.
- Finally, assemble jibaritos by layering the plantain "bread slice" covered in mayo, followed by steak, lettuce, tomato and the second plantain slice. Repeat with remaining plantain slices.
- Enjoy!
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