i bring you this dish to continue with the dominican independence celebrations.  in the dr the most popular dish for lunch is ‘la bandera dominicana’ - the dominican flag - which is made up of bean stew, white rice, meat, fried plantains and a simple salad. there are many variations of la bandera: beans can be black, red, white or ‘guandules’ (pigeon peas), the rice is usually white, but sometimes also rice with noodles, rice with sweet corn, or rice with vegetables. the meat can be chicken, beef, pork or goat, and these are made in any number of ways too: stewed, fried or roasted. codfish stew is sometimes served instead of the ‘meat’ option.

growing up in the dr, my brother and i came home from school to find this great filling dish.  my mom is known for being able to whip up all of that in 30 minutes… i am not at that level yet, it takes me like an hour. i am hoping one day to be as quick as she is.  living in new york now means i don’t come home for lunch so instead make this for dinner with plenty of leftovers for the next day.  i’ve split the recipe ingredients between the beef and the beans.  to cook the rice just follow the instructions i’ve posted before.  here it is: la bandera dominicana!! 

INGREDIENTS:
(for the beef marinade)
dry oregano
pepper
adobo seasoning
worscestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 red onion
handful of parsley
1lb beef top round steak

INSTRUCTIONS:
wash the beef and place it in a large bowl.  add the chopped garlic.

onions and parsley. add about a teaspoon of ground pepper.

season with a few sprinkles of adobo powder… about 1/2 tablespoon.

add 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce and mix well.  cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours.  preferably overnight.

INGREDIENTS:
(for the beans)
1 tsp of canola or vegetable oil
1 cup of chicken stock
1 large can of red beans
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
adobo seasoning powder
dry oregano
1 stalk of celery
1/4 red onion
2 garlic cloves
apple cider vinegar*
parsley*

*not pictured 

(wow, do i like goyaproducts or what?! hahahahahaha!)

INSTRUCTIONS:
chop up the onion and celery in chunks. peel the garlic but leave whole and tie up the parsley with a string. or if you don’t have a string use the parley itself to tie a knot.  

heat up the oil and add the onions, garlic and celery until the onion starts getting brown.  it is ok if it burns a little like it did for me.

add the beans and the parsley.

next, add 1/2 tbs of dry oregano and about 1/2 tbs of adobo.

mix that well and add the tomato paste.

add one cup of chicken stock.  if you are vegetarian add vegetable stock or water.  if adding water just make sure to add a little bit more adobo to taste. mix well until the tomato paste is mostly dissolved. cook covered on medium-low heat.

meanwhile heat up a skillet on med-high heat and add the steaks. turn them so they cook on both sides and cover them.

check on the beans, once they are boiling add a splash of vinegar. i don’t know why, all i know is that without the splash they don’t taste the same.  i usually fill up the lid covering the vinegar bottle and use that a measurement. mix the vinegar in and lower the heat once they start boiling so they don’t burn.

after 10 minutes the meat should be mostly cooked.

remove the steaks and place them on a plate.

add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the skillet where the steaks were cooking (do not throw away the juices the steak gave out).

add a cup of water or chicken stock and dissolve the tomato paste as much as you can.

add the steaks to the skillet and cover.  cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

while the beans and the beef cook heat up some oil on a skillet and fry a few slices of yellow plantains.  my apologies for not taking pictures of the process. i don’t know what happened, i forgot.

so here is what you need to know about the plantain: they look like big bananas but that is where the similarities stop.  unlike bananas, plantains have a lower sugar content and a firmer texture.  bananas can be eaten raw but plantains also have to be cooked before eating.  plantains are rich in starch.  the plantain turns sweeter as it ripens.  the plantain can be eaten green (unripe) or yellow (ripe). 

image source: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/805212/plantain-is-it-a-big-banana

for this dish i fried a yellow (maduro) plantain in canola oil.  and served them with the bandera. they would look something like this, only mine are cut lengthwise.

image source: http://tastyniblets.com/images/2009/052609_fried_plantains.jpg

serve the rice, beans, beef and plantains with a simple salad.

every dominican home has a variation of this meal at lunch or dinnertime.

for dominicans, this plate is the definition of comfort food. you can also have a slice of avocado to go with.

i am hoping one day i am able to whip out this meal in 30 minutes like my mom does.  i still don’t know how she does it. 

hope you try making this. thank you for stopping by!