This dish has several components. It must be served with “powder” ground beef, red beans, maduro frito, avocado, white rice, chicharrón and a fried egg. Note from Tía Cecilia: “José Luis and I add a few grams of LOVE when we make this dish for you two, such special people in our lives.”
Bandeja Paisa from Tía Cecilia
- 1.5 lbs of beef any cut suitable for stewing; not the expensive type
- Salt to taste
- Comino garlic powder, oregano, and any other "sazón" for meat
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1 lb dry red beans
- 6 smoked pork chops
- 1 large white onion
- 5 green onions
- 3 celery sticks
- ½ large red pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 large bay leaf
- Beef bouillon cubes to taste
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb uncooked meaty pork rind
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups of water
- ½ tsp salt
- Marinate the meat overnight in all spices.
- Next day, boil the meat in four cups of water; add the beef cube. Cook until done, but not tender.
- Let it cool down, and cut in small pieces. Then, grind to powder in the food processor.
- Transfer to a pan, and keep warm for serving.
- The night before, soak the beans in three cups of water.
- Next day, transfer the beans and water to a large pot, as well as the beef cubes, and cook on high heat for approximately 90 minutes. Test the softness of the beans.
- In a frying pan, sauté in hot olive oil the green and white onion, celery, and red pepper, all finely chopped; add crushed garlic, and salt to taste. Be careful with the salt, because the smoked pork that will be added later also contains salt.
- Stir the sautéed vegetables into the beans, and add the pork chops (they may be cut in strips). Mix well.
- Continue cooking for 10 minutes, and add the brown sugar. Lower the heat, and simmer stirring frequently until the mixture starts thickening.
- If you want it to be thicker, pureé some of the beans in the blender and pour back in the pot
- Scrape the pork skin thoroughly to clean it off, and wash well.
- Rub the meat with the baking powder, and let rest for about 30 minutes.
- Wash again, and cut in 1 inch-wide strips.
- Place in frying pan, together with the water and salt. Cook at very low heat, turning the meat a couple of times.
- Once the water has cooked away, let the chicharrones fry in their own fat, until "crackly".
Powder Ground Beef
Red Beans
Chicharrón
As indicated above, serve the beans, meat, and chicharrones accompanied by maduro frito, sliced avocado, and a fried egg.
Photo by secretlondon123 
