Welcome!
In this class, Chef Lebjulet Braganti will guide you in making a simple but delicious meal that can be easily tailored to suit different tastes.
Let’s get cooking
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has teamed up with Eat Offbeat, a meal box delivery and catering company that specializes in heritage cuisines from refugee chefs, to offer a class that will inspire and nourish you.
Meet Chef Lebjulet Braganti
Chef Lebjulet Braganti first learned the power of cooking from her mother while growing up in Venezuela. Today, she loves sharing her roots with others by preparing dishes such as carne mechada and arepas that remind her of home.
Lebjulet also enjoys celebrating her half-Italian heritage, as well as her husband’s Chinese customs, through dishes like ravioli and dim sum. Like many multicultural families, the picture is never complete until you talk about food. “Our kitchen at home has three different corners for the ingredients of each cuisine we grew up with,” she says.
Like many refugees who staff the Eat Offbeat kitchen, Lebjulet was resettled with her family in the United States with support from the IRC. Formerly a professor of engineering in Caracas, Lebjulet is now studying French patisserie to expand her culinary expertise and share her passion for food with her clients and community.
The Class
Ingredients
2 green plantains
1 red pepper
1 white onion
1 tomato
3 lettuce leaves
5 garlic cloves
½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or vegan substitute)
1 quart water
2 cups oil (olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or canola oil)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic power
¼ teaspoon annatto &coriander spice mix
1 teaspoon paprika
Shredded mozzarella or tropical cheese (or vegan substitute)
Cilantro (for garnish)
Cooking utensils
Knife
Fork
Cutting board
Frying pan
Cooking tweezers
Meat tenderizer*
Medium to large pot
Paper towel
*This is to flatten the plantains. If you don't have one, you could also put a plate on top of a plantain and carefully push down with your hands.
Note: For easy assembly and authentic flavors, you can purchase ingredient boxes through Eat Offbeat. All purchases directly support Eat Offbeat’s refugee staff. To place a meal kit order with Eat Offbeat as part of your event, reach out to your primary IRC contact and they will facilitate your order.
Recipe
For the filling
1. Clean the chicken breast. Combine the chicken, salt, and a garlic clove in a pot and let it boil for 10 -15 minutes over medium-to-high heat.
2. Once fully cooked, remove the chicken from the stove and leave it to cool. Pour the chicken broth into a cup, which will be used later.
3. Cut the onion and peppers in julienne (long thin strips) and chop up the garlic into fine pieces.
4. Once the chicken has cooled, shred it with a fork or with your hands following its fibers.
5. Place the now empty pot back onto the stove with 2 Tbs of olive oil. Stir fry the onion, garlic cloves, and red pepper over medium heat for 4 minutes.
6. Add the shredded chicken, garlic powder, annatto and coriander spice mix, paprika, and salt to taste.
7. If the shredded chicken is dry, add a quarter cup of chicken broth (from step 2) to the pot.
Prepare the plantains
8. Cut off the ends of the green plantains and cut the skin longitudinally. Remove the skin. Then cut the plantains in half once more and make another cut all the way down the middle so you get 4 pieces of a similar size per plantain.
9. Place enough oil in the frying pan to cover the plantains over medium-to-high heat. With cooking tweezers, place the plantains in the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes.
10. Remove the plantains and wrap them in a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
11. On the cutting board, carefully flatten the plantains using a meat tenderizer. Alternatively, you can also use the bottom of a plate and push it down carefully with your hands.
12. Fry the flattened plantains for 3-5 more minutes until they form a crispy golden brown surface.
13. Remove the plantains and remove excess oil with a paper towel.
14. Slice the lettuce and tomato.
15. Assemble patacones by placing the chicken, lettuce, tomato, and cheese between two fried plantains.
16. Garnish with cilantro and red pepper.
How to make it vegan: replace chicken with hummus, black beans or avocado (also good as a garnish on top), and add veggies of your choice. Corn, zucchini, or carrots are a few of our favorite options.
Buen provecho!
Learn more about how you can support the IRC’s response to the Venezuelan crisis.