Recipe: Plaintain Use and Preparation, Plantain Baked in its Skin, Plantain Soup

actually, I finally found sum info on plaintains just be surfin around for a bit so..here's what i found out! :)

Use and preparation: Green plantains, which are very hard and starchy, have little banana flavor and no sweetness. They are generally cooked in the same ways as potatoes. They may be boiled or fried or added to soups and stews. Yellow-ripe plantains are more tender but can be used in these same ways, and will have a creamier texture. They can also be mashed, grilled or baked. Black-ripe plantains are also delicious prepared in any of these methods but have a sweeter flavor and a banana aroma. If you wish to peel the plantain before cooking, the way you go about it depends on its stage of ripeness. Black-ripe fruit can usually be peeled as you would a banana. Other fruit is usually washed, the ends trimmed and the fruit cut across in 2 to 4 sections. The very thick, stiff peel is then cut lengthwise along its four ridges. Remove each strip of skin, starting at a corner and pulling slightly crosswise, rather than down. Remove woody fibers, if necessary with a paring knife.

Plantain Baked in its Skin

For the simplest, most basic dish, plantain needs nothing more than to be baked in its skin like a potato. Choose brown to black-ripe plantain for full flavor and softness. Rinse and dry as many plantain as needed, usually figuring on one medium sized fruit per person. Trim off tips. Cut a lengthwise slit in each fruit. Set slit-side up in a foil-lined pan and bake in 375 degree F. oven until tender, about 40 minutes. When it is baked, serve whole or separate in lengthwise strips along the natural seed divisions or slice crosswise in rounds or diagonals. Serve with your favorite topping; butter, spices, lime juice, pan drippings or gravy, pineapple and brown sugar or nuts.

Plantain Soup

3 semi-ripe plantains (yellow with some spots)
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large carrot Black pepper
1 tablespoon oil Salt
1/4 cup chopped onion

Cut ends from plantains and peel fruit. Cut fruit into 1/2 inch thick slices. Grate carrot and saute in oil, with onion until tender. In heavy saucepan bring broth to boil with plantains and cumin, add onions and carrot. Simmer, covered until plantains are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. In blender, puree mixture in batches until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 4 to 6 servings.