Caribbean plantain and ground beef hash: sweet, savory, and built on a real skillet

Plantain caramelizes the way tomato never could. That sweetness, browned in a hot pan, is what carries this hash: savory ground beef, salty capers and olives, a few raisins for a note of dried fruit. It reads like a dish that took real effort, and it comes together in one skillet.

Ripe plantain is a genuinely useful AIP starch. It carries potassium, and the natural sugars concentrate as it browns, which is most of why this dish tastes the way it does without anything artificial doing the work. The beef carries iron and zinc alongside the protein, so this plate is not just comfort food. It is doing something.

The original recipe calls for cumin and tomato paste, and neither one belongs in a strict elimination phase. Cumin is left out here rather than swapped, since nothing quite replaces its exact flavor, and the warmth in this dish comes from the garlic and the long simmer instead. The tomato paste becomes a spoonful of Classic Nomato Sauce or AIP nomato marinara, whichever you already have in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large ripe plantains, cubed into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or ground pork
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons nomato sauce (Classic Nomato Sauce or AIP nomato marinara), in place of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons pitted green or kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Method

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the plantain and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized on the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and salt, breaking it apart as it browns, about 6 to 7 minutes, until no pink remains.
• Stir in the nomato sauce, capers, olives, raisins, and thyme sprigs. Cook 2 to 3 minutes to let the flavors come together.
• Fold the caramelized plantain back into the skillet. Remove the thyme sprigs, finish with fresh cilantro, and serve hot.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com by Nicole Charles*