Cuban recipe
Cuban Completa with Palomilla Steak, White Rice, Black Beans and Fried Ripe Plantains
Palomilla steak smothered in onions with fluffy white rice, stewed black beans and fried ripe plantains: the Cuban Sunday plate, all together on one plate.
- Preparation45 min
- Cooking2 h
- Total time2 h 45 min
- Servings4 servings
- DifficultyMedium
The Cuban Completa, a combination plate, brings together on one plate what many consider the quintessential home-cooked lunch: a thin, juicy palomilla steak, well-fluffed white rice, spoonable black beans and slices of ripe plantain fried until caramelized.
It is Sunday food, for long lunches, the kind that smells of garlic and sofrito from the morning. Each component is made separately and put together when serving, so the trick is coordinating the timing so everything reaches the table hot.
Ingredients
Check off the ingredients you have.
Black beans
White rice
Palomilla steak smothered in onions
Fried ripe plantains
Method
Black beans
- The night before, cover the dried beans with plenty of water and leave them to soak for 8 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Drain them and discard the soaking water. Put them in a pot with 6 cups of fresh water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then cook at a gentle simmer for approximately 75-90 minutes, until tender; add hot water if needed.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Meanwhile make the sofrito: heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and pepper with a pinch of salt until soft, add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook one more minute.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Add the sofrito to the pot of beans, add the vinegar, sugar and salt to taste. Let it cook over low heat about 30 minutes more until the broth thickens and the flavors come together.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Palomilla steak
- Marinate the steaks with the crushed garlic, sour orange juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Let them rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator, covered.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion rings over medium heat until golden and soft. Remove them and set aside.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - In the same hot skillet, cook the thin steaks approximately 2 minutes per side, adjusting the time to their thickness and until they are done, browned and juicy, without overcooking them.
- Return the onion to the skillet on top of the steaks, cover for a minute so the juices come together and turn off the heat.
White rice
- In a pot heat the oil with the whole garlic cloves, add the rice and stir for a minute. Add the water and salt, raise the heat and let it boil uncovered until the water has almost dried up.
- Lower the heat to the minimum, cover the pot and cook about 15 minutes until the rice is dry and fluffy. Loosen the grains with a fork before serving.
Fried ripe plantains
- Peel the plantains and cut them into diagonal slices a finger thick. Fry them in hot oil over medium heat, about 2 or 3 minutes per side, until golden and caramelized. Drain them on paper towels.
- Serve on each plate white rice, black beans, a steak with its onions and some slices of ripe plantains, all together on the same plate.
