Colombian
Bandeja Paisa
An abundant Antioquian platter of beans, rice, beef, chicharrón, chorizo, egg, plantain, arepa, and avocado.
6 servings · 55 minutes prep · 150 minutes cook
Ingredients
Beans and Hogao
- 1 pound dried cargamanto or cranberry beans, picked over and rinsed
- 8 cups water, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces pork hock or meaty pork ribs
- 1 green plantain, peeled and finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts
- 2 cups ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Chicharrón and Carne Molida
- 1 1/2 pounds skin-on pork belly, cut into 6 long strips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pound ground beef, 85 percent lean
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 cup prepared hogao from above
Rice and Platter
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 6 small Colombian chorizos
- 3 very ripe plantains, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more as needed
- 6 large eggs; pasteurized if served with fluid yolks
- 6 small plain Colombian arepas
- 2 ripe avocados, cut into wedges
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Directions
Cook the Beans
- Cover the beans with plenty of cool water and soak for 12 hours. Drain and place in a large pot with the 8 cups fresh water and pork hock. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then partially cover and simmer gently for 60 minutes.
- Add the green plantain and carrot to the beans. Continue simmering for 45 to 75 minutes, adding hot water as needed, until the beans are fully creamy but mostly intact. Stir in the 2 teaspoons salt during the final 20 minutes.
Make the Hogao
- Meanwhile, make the hogao. Heat the hogao oil in a skillet over medium-low. Cook the scallions for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and the hogao cumin; cook for 18 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until thick and jammy. Stir 1 cup hogao into the tender beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining hogao for the beef and serving. Remove the pork bones and adjust the beans with salt and hot water; they should be spoonable, not pasty.
Prepare the Chicharrón
- While the beans cook, rub the pork-belly skin with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the baking soda, keeping the baking soda off the meat. Set the strips skin-side down in a wide heavy skillet and add water to come halfway up the meat without covering the skin. Simmer uncovered over medium-low until the water evaporates, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Continue cooking the belly in its rendered fat over medium-low, turning often and shielding against spatters, for 25 to 35 minutes, until the meat is tender and deeply browned and the skin is blistered and crisp. Add a splash of water if the fat threatens to scorch. Drain on a rack and season the meat side with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Cook the Rice, Beef, and Chorizo
- Combine the rice, 2 1/4 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, and cook over low for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing.
- Season the ground beef with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the beef cumin, and black pepper. Heat the beef oil in a skillet over medium-high. Brown the beef for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into fine crumbles, until it reaches {{temperature:160°F}}. Stir in the prepared hogao and cook until the meat is moist but not saucy, about 3 minutes.
- Brown the chorizos in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly, for 12 to 16 minutes, until their centers reach {{temperature:160°F}}. Keep warm.
Cook the Plantain, Arepas, and Eggs
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Brush the ripe plantain slices with avocado oil and cook in batches for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until caramelized and tender. Add oil only as needed and keep warm.
- Warm the arepas on a dry griddle over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side. In a lightly oiled skillet, fry pasteurized eggs until the whites are set and the yolks remain fluid, seasoning each lightly with salt; with standard eggs, cook until the centers reach {{temperature:160°F}}.
Assemble the Platters
- Build each generous platter with rice, beans, carne molida, one chorizo, one strip of chicharrón, ripe plantain, one arepa, one fried egg, and avocado. Spoon on the reserved hogao and serve immediately with lime.
