Bandeja Paisa

We know the list of ingredients looks a bit daunting ... but preparing the various ingredients of this dish isn't really that difficult if you plan ahead, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding most of the ingredients at the local Mexican market. "Paisa" refers to the Paisa region of Colombia, and "bandeja" means " dish”, as this dish is meant to be served on a platter, given its size. This incredible pate includes a little bit of everything — crunchy fat pork belly, hogao (a traditional Colombian condiment often served with beef — it looks like a tender tomato-onion jam), juicy red beans, beef, chorizo, cheese arepa, caramelized bananas and fried eggs. Just a few useful tips for making this flawless Colombian treat: be sure to buy ripe bananas; they should be mostly black, with a few yellow spots, if any. If you can't find asadero cheese, replace it with queso blanco or even mozzarella. Finally, making meat dishes, hogao, and pork belly the day in advance (and reheating them when they're ready to serve) may be your best cooking strategy.
Prepare the chicharrone: Place the pork belly on a side-lined baking sheet. Combine salt, sugar and cumin; grate pork evenly. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.Preheat the oven to 425°F. Unwrap the pork and place it fat side up on a lightly greased wire rack. Place the wire rack on a side-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes.Reduce the oven temperature to 250 ° F and cook until the pork is tender if speared with a fork, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.Cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is firm, at least 1 hour.Cut the pork into 4 strips. Cut 3/4-inch-deep cuts across the pork at 1-inch intervals. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes on each side.Prepare the hogao: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and aciote paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, cumin and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are cooked through and thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro.Prepare the Rojos Fricoles: Place the beans in a medium-sized bowl; cover with water so that it covers at least 2 inches. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.Dry the beans. Heat the oil in a roasting pan over medium-low heat. Add the pork belly; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the beans, broth, hogao, cumin and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours, adding water 1 cup at a time if the mixture becomes too thick.Prepare the Carne Molida: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef; cook, stirring, until it breaks into pieces, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the hogao, salt, and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until smooth and warm, about 2 minutes.Prepare the chorizo: Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chorizo slices, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and browned, about 15 minutes.Make the arepa: Combine the masarepa, cheese, water, salt, and 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. (The dough will look like a soup, but it will become dense when set.) Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.Shape the dough into 4 balls (4 ounces each). Gently flatten each into a 1/2-inch-thick disc (about 3 1/2 inches in diameter). Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the arepa until golden brown and browned, about 5 minutes on each side.Prepare the Tajadas de Platano: Slice the bananas diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bananas in batches until golden brown, 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.Prepare the Huevos Fritos: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Break the eggs into a skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the whites are set and beginning to brown around the edges, 4-5 minutes.Spread the chicharone, Fricoles rojos, Carne Molida, chorizo, Arepa, Tayadas de Platano, Huevos Fritos, rice, avocado, and remaining hogao evenly over 4 plates. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.