Cooked Plantains
Source: Mayela Zamora
Traditional Venezuelan side dish.
Serves: 2.

1 very ripe plantain (black peel),
1 tsp of butter, margarine or olive oil,
3-6 cloves
1/8 tsp all-spice (optional)
shredded coconut (vegan version - cheese is traditional).
1 tsp raw sugar (optional, not necessary at all if the plantain is ripe, but is maybe good if the peel is just yellowish).

Preheat the oven at 350 C or gas mark 8.

Make a longitudinal cut on the plantain peel, open it and cut the plantain in two halves, again longitudinaly.

Grease a tray, or simple cover the tray with baking paper or aluminium foil. Put the plantain over its peel on the tray.

Insert the cloves, distributing them well along the two halves (remember where, to remove them after the cooking).

Optionally, sprinkle some all-spice powder and/or a teaspoon of raw sugar.

Then put small amounts of margarine or olive oil on the plantain halves and spread the shredded cocunut over them.

Bake it until the plantain becomes golden.

Remove it from the oven and take the cloves out.

Another way to make this dish is to put the plantain (without the peel) cut it in halves (across the plantain) on a greased iron pan, with the sugar (optional) and the spices.

Slowly cook it until brown and mushy, the natural sugars should caramelised.

Then sprinkle the coconut, continue cooking until the coconut browns and remove it from the heat.