Picadillo a Caballo with Maduros

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and green pepper (5 mm) and mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a 24 cm pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion and pepper slowly for 13 min until very soft, sweet and jammy, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes. Not rushing this is the secret.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 2 tbspOnion 1Green bell pepper ½Garlic cloves 3

   medium-low heat

2. Add the tomato paste, cumin and oregano and cook over medium heat for 2 min, stirring, until the paste darkens to brick red. This cooks out the raw tomato taste and deepens the savouriness.

   Add in this stepTomato paste 2 tspGround cumin ½ tspDried oregano ½ tsp

   medium heat

3. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, add the beef and pork, spread them out and leave them untouched for 2 minutes to brown underneath. Then break them up and cook for 7 min in total until no pink remains.

   Add in this stepMinced beef 200 gMinced pork 100 g

   medium-high heat

4. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits as it boils down almost completely. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaves, raisins, salt and pepper, lower to low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 20 min. Add a spoonful or two of water if it looks dry.

   Add in this stepDry white wine 75 mlTomato sauce (passata) 120 mlBay leaves 1Raisins 20 gSalt ¾ tspBlack pepper to taste

   low heat

5. Meanwhile, make the maduros: peel the plantains and slice them on the diagonal 1.5 cm thick. Heat most of the vegetable oil in a second 24 cm pan over medium heat and fry them for 6 min, turning once, until deep caramel brown on both sides and soft inside. Their sugar burns easily, so don't turn the heat up.

   Add in this stepVery ripe plantains (skins mostly black) 1Vegetable oil (for plantains and eggs) 2¾ tbsp

   medium heat

6. Stir the halved olives and capers into the picadillo, remove the bay leaves and taste for salt. Wipe out the plantain pan, add the remaining oil, crack in the eggs and fry over medium heat for 3 min, until the whites are fully set and the edges lacy and crisp.

   Add in this stepPitted green olives 10Capers 1 tspEggs 2Vegetable oil (for plantains and eggs) 1¼ tbsp

   medium heat

7. Spoon the picadillo onto plates and top each with a fried egg (a caballo, 'on horseback'). Add the maduros on the side, with white rice if you have it. Break the yolk into the meat as you eat.