Tostones Y Pico de Gallo

Every week I buy green plantains. I cook the plantains in a variety of ways to have as a snack or a meal. I. Love. Green plantains. More than I do ripe plantains. One of my favourite ways to cook green plantains is shallow frying; it cooks up quickly and easily and does not absorb a lot of oil. There are several ways to prepare green plantains to be fried - as crisp chips, fritters, potato-style fries or as tostones. 

Tostones are twice fried green plantains. Once peeled, the plantains are cut into 1 - 1 1/2-inch thick rounds, fried for about 2 minutes, smashed to flatten and then fried again to crisp up. The outsides are crisp and the insides soft. I use the device below that I bought a few years ago in a West Indian store in the United States, before that I used my cast iron skillet. Tostones are good on their own and great with accompaniments such as salsas, hot sauces, ketchup, garlic sauce and other condiments.

You do not need speciality equipment to flatten the fried plantains, use a cast iron skillet or any heavy implement that can flatten stuff. I suggest putting the fried plantain between plastic wrap, wax or parchment paper if using a skillet etc. so that the plantains are easy to remove once mashed.

Pico de gallo is a fresh salsa/salad, to make it you need crisp onions, fresh firm ripe tomatoes, spicy garlic, hot peppers, tender cilantro/coriander, salt, and fresh lime or juice. The quantity of the ingredients to make the salsa is based on your personal preference. For the onions, I like to use white onions, but I also use Spanish onions or red onions, depending on what I have available.

Here are a few tips to make the pico de gallo.

• Cut up the onions first, then grate or grind the garlic to a paste, do not merely chop it where you are likely to bite into tiny bits of garlic.
• Add the onions and garlic paste to a bowl, along with lime/lemon juice and add salt to taste. Mix together the ingredients and let it sit for about 10 - 15 minutes; this will breakdown the rawness of the garlic and onions and begin the pickling process.
• Finely mince the hot peppers and chop the tomatoes into small pieces; if you like, you can remove the seeds from a couple of the tomatoes. But do not de-seed all the tomatoes, the pulp of the tomatoes add important flavour to the salsa.
• Roughly or finely chop the cilantro and include some of the tender stems, mincing them (the stems) finely.
• Add the peppers, tomatoes and cilantro to the onion-garlic mixture and toss to mix. Taste and adjust with more lime/lemon juice and salt until it suits your taste. To determine the taste, taste the juice itself after mixing the ingredients together.
• Cover the salsa/salad and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the flavors can meld.
• Bring the salsa to room temperature before serving.

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Patacones "Buns" For Sandwiches

The bun for your next sandwich does not have to be made with any type of wheat flour, not when you can sandwich your filling between two pieces of patacones (twice fried green plantains), which are also known as tostones, chatinos, and fritos verde in various parts of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

The principle is the same as I have explained in my previous post on Breadfruit Tostones, only this time, you are using green plantains - which are not to be confused with green bananas.

Once the plantains are peeled, cut then in half (across) and then cut each half in two, cutting lengthways. Each plantain will give you 4 pieces which will be enough for 2 sandwiches, top and bottom. Pan-fry the plantains in oil heated over medium, cooking for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total. Mash the fried plantains to a flat disk and then fry again until cooked through and the edges crisp.

For my sandwich, I used beef steak which I cut thinly and then using a meat mallet, pounded thinly (between plastic wrap), and grilled it up quickly over very high heat, almost smoking hot. Season with salt and pepper just before removing it from the grill and let it rest until you are ready to assemble the sandwich.

I made a fire-roasted salsa. The tomatoes, onions, garlic and hot pepper were all roasted and charred over open flames. Salt, a squirt of fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro were added to the mix and left to rest for 1 hour for the flavors to meld.

This sandwich is perfect when you have friends over for a casual get-together. I would suggest prepping everything before everyone arrives. For the plantains, fry and mash the plantains before they arrive and do the last stage of frying while everyone is there so that they can have their sandwiches nice and hot and the plantains soft and toasty.

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Topping Tostones for Appetizers

Looking for something different to serve this holiday - Thanksgiving or Christmas? Then you've come to the right place! These tostones appetizers are sure to be a crowd pleaser. You can top them with anything, even leftovers. You see the topping above? That's beef shredded from leftover beef stew. So even when you've had your full and wondering what to do with the leftover turkey, ham, stuffing etc. pile them on to freshly made, warm tostones and enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or even dinner. There is only one catch - make lots because they go in no time.

You can get the recipe with tips and advice as well as other recipes, including a cheese bread-roll that you can make for the dinner table - all included in November's edition of my newsletter - TASTESMONTHLY. It's free, just inbox me and I'll send it right over. If you'd like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox monthly, just let me know at the same time and I'll add you to the mailing list. Enjoy!

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Move over Potato Sticks

I love potatoes in any form or fashion and I have a serious weakness for French Fries. Potato Sticks on the other hand, is like my dirty little secret. I fool myself into thinking that it is not as heavy and fattening as French Fries and so I tend to eat Potato Sticks whenever I feel the urge for a French-Fries-fix. Don't judge me. I never claimed to be perfect.

Anyway, the other day I was making fried green plantains in many forms, working on a column. One of the things I made was Aranitas which I have made on several occasions. It occurred to me as I was making the Aranitas, that instead of frying in a clump (as is done when making Aranitas) that it might be a good idea to sprinkle the seasoned plantains into the oil, creating instead individual sticks. In the process I created plantain sticks!!! Garlicky and with a crunch factor that lasts for days, these plantain sticks are now my go-to snack that I make regularly.

While they will never replace the beloved French Fries, I cannot see myself going back to Potato Sticks. Try it and tell me what you think.

PLANTAIN STICKS

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large green plantains
• Water
• Salt
• 1 heaped tablespoon of garlic paste (freshly grated garlic)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Oil for shallow frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour lots of room temperature water into a large bowl and add salt to the water, stirring to dissolve. The water should be salty - taste and adjust, adding more or less to suit your taste. Set aside.
2. Remove the top and bottom tips of the plantains using a paring knife. Slit the skin of the plantain on one side from top to bottom and use the knife to pry the skin away from the plantain. The skin will not come off all at once. Pry, tear off a piece and repeat until all the skin is removed.
3. Grate the plantains using the large-hole side of a box grater, then transfer the grated plantains to the bowl with salt water. Let soak for 10 minutes.
4. Drain plantains well using a colander. Shake the colander vigorously to help get out some of the excess moisture; you can also use your hand to press the grated plantain against the sides of the colander to remove the moisture.
5. Spread a double layer of thick kitchen towels onto a work surface; now sprinkle the plantains all over the kitchen towels. Cover the plantains with another double layer of kitchen towels. Pick up the bottom layer of kitchen towel and roll towards the other end, pressing gently. This is to remove the residual moisture in the plantains. The aim is to get the plantains as dry as possible.
6. Transfer the pat-dry plantains to a clean bowl, add garlic and black pepper and mix well to coat the plantains with the garlic and pepper.
7. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a shallow frying pan until hot but not smoking.
8. Working in batches, sprinkle the plantains into the oil and fry until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the plantain mixture is used up.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature. To store, let the plantain sticks cool completely then place in an airtight container and leave on your counter top. These plantain sticks stay crisp for at least 3 days but trust me, they will not last that long. Make these in large batches because they go very quickly.

NOTES

• You can opt not to soak the plantains once grated but I find that by skipping this step, the plantains do not stay crunchy beyond a couple of hours after being made.
• The milk/juice from the plantains when the top and bottom tips are cut, will stain if spattered onto your clothing.
• The plantains must be green and starchy. Do not use plantains that are turning (the green is fading).

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