Recipe: Collection: Plantain Recipes

Plantains in Coconut Milk
from: Eastern Africa

four or more plantains (they don't have to be completely ripe)
one-half teaspoon mild curry powder
one-half teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
a few cloves or a pinch of powdered cloves (optional)
salt to taste
pat of butter (optional)
one to two cups of coconut milk

Peel plantains. Cut plantains into slices, or into quarters by cutting once lengthwise and once across the middle. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except coconut milk. Heat slowly, stir gently, and add coconut milk little by little until all is absorbed. Simmer until plantains are tender. Add a little water if necessary.

Mang
Source: Aunt Clara
This is one of the best known and most representative recipes of the Dominican cuisine.
Yield: 4 servings

4 unripe plantains
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of oil
2 large onions
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 cup of cold water
salt
Before Starting to Cook:
Peel the plantains and cut into 8 pieces.

Boil the plantains adding 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. When the plantains are very tender turn off the heat. While the plantains are boiling, heat a tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan. Sautee the onions, add the salt and the vinegar. Reserve. Take the plantains out of the water and mash them with a fork. Add the butter and the cold water and keep mashing until it is very smooth. Garnish with the onions and serve with scrambled eggs or deep-fried slices of salami.

Plantain Omelette (Tortilla de Platanos Maduros)
Memories of a Cuban Kitchen/Mary Urrutia Randelman 1992

1 recipe Platanos Maduros Fritos (Fried Sweet Plantains)
2 tablespoons pure Spanish olive oil
6 large eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In an 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until fragrant, then add the fried plantain, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook just until warm, 2 to 3 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper until frothy. Pour the eggs over the plantain in the skillet, and with a spatula, keep moving the eggs from the sides to the center of the pan, and back, allowing the uncooked eggs to run under the cooked, so they can set. Cook until the omelette is set. Place a plate over the skillet and quickly invert the omelette onto the plate. Add more oil to the skillet if necessary, slide the omelette back onto the skillet, uncooked-side down, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Invert the omelette onto a serving platter, sprinkle with the parsley, cut into wedges, and serve.

Plantain Chips (Platanutres)

3 green plantains
Ice water
2 cups corn oil
Adobo to taste

Peel the plantains and slice them paper thin. Place in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes. Drain and dry the plantain slices. Heat the oil until hot but not smoking and fry the chips briefly, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the chips with adobo.

Sauteed Yellow Plantains with Parmesan Cheese (Amarillos con Queso Parmesano)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons light olive oil
3 very ripe plantains, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter and oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute the plantain slices over medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle the cheese on top.

New Plantain Dumplings Stuffed with Shrimp (Nuevo Mofongo Relleno de Camarones)

STUFFING:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/4 pound smoked ham, diced
1/4 cup sliced scallion
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped manzanilla olives
juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup tomato sauce
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, cleaned, and cut in half

MOFONGO: 3 large or 6 medium green plantains
1/4 cup corn oil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients, except the shrimp, and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink. Set aside. Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/2-inch slices. Heat the corn oil in a large skillet and fry the plantain slices until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Mash 5 or 6 plantain slices in a mortar with a little of the stuffing liquid. Fold in 1/2 cup of the shrimp mixture and shape into a ball with your hands. Repeat the process five more times.

Yellow Plantain Boats Stuffed with Beef Picadillo (Canoas de Platano Relleno de Carne)

2 cups corn oil
6 ripe but firm yellow plantains, peeled
1 recipe beef picadillo (Ground beef stew)
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the plantains until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Make a slit in each plantain from top to bottom. Fill each with 2-1/2 tablespoons of the picadillo. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Yellow Plantain and Meat Pie (Pastelon de Amarillos)

FILLING:
1 pound ground beef
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup basic recaito
1/2 cup manzanilla olives, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon black pepper

DOUGH:
2 cups corn oil
7 very ripe yellow plantains, peeled and cut into 3-inch slices
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

TOPPING:
1/2 pound green beans, cooked
6 eggs, beaten

Brown the meat in a large frying pan. Add the remaining filling ingredients and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil and fry the plantain until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Spread 1/2 cup of the filling in the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan. Add a layer of half of the plantain slices and cover with the remaining filling. Add the mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining plantain slices. Sprinkle the green beans on top and pour the eggs over all. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the eggs are set.

BOILED GREEN BANANAS AND PLANTAINS (Puertorican style)

Cut off the ends and make a lengthwise slit on the banana skin. Boil without peeling.
Use enough salted water to cover plantains over two inches. Plantains should boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Feel with a fork to see if they are ready. You don't want them mushy but slightly hard at the center. These may be used in cooking or served with olive oil as a side dish.

Platanos en Almibar
(Ripe plantain dessert)

4 ripe plantains (Use very ripe plantains - more orange in color with a few black spots.)
1/2 cup of butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup of water
2/3 cup cooking wine
1/2 teaspoonful vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks

Peel the plantains and cut them in half and then cut each half in 4 lengthwise slices. Saut e the plantains in butter Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, covered for about 15 minutes or so. Serve hot in its own gravy.

Pasteles (PuertoRican national plantain dish)
(18 pasteles)

Masa (dough)
1 1/3 lbs. taro root
3 lbs. green bananas
1 lbs. potatoes
1 green plantain
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 cup achiote oil
salt

Relleno (filling):
3/4 lb. pork, chopped in small pieces, seasoned with "adobo" - or buy coarsely ground pork.

2 tablespoons "achiote" oil
3 oz. chopped ham
1/2 chopped onion
2 chopped garlic
4 aj es dulces - chopped
3 recao leaves chopped (may use cilantro instead)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 can garbanzo beans
1\/2 cup cooking olives with pimento, chopped
1 (6 oz.) can chopped pimentos
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. or gano

Banana leaves (or aluminum foil & butcher paper)
1/2 cup achiote to grease the plantain leaves or paper.
string to tie pasteles
A large pot of boiling salt water

Masa (dough):
HINT - Boil the green bananas for a few minutes until the peel begins to turns black. Then you can just pull off the peel and grate the guineitos in the food processor. Make sure you don't leave them in the pot too long.

Peel the rest of the vegetables, rinse them and grate in a food processor. Add milk, oil, and salt. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour. It is best to do this the day before actually putting the pasteles together. It makes for easier handling masa.

Relleno (meat filling):
Heat the oil in a "caldero" and cook the meat and ham for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for approximately 25 minutes until the pork is completely cooked. Cool.

The Wrapper (use either banana leaves or aluminum foil)
Banana leaves: Use 10 bundles of plaintain leaves. Remove the central ridge on each leaf. Divide leaves into pieces, about 10-inch square. Wash and clean leaves with a damp cloth and blanch them (toast them slightly over gas stove flames). If you have just a few plantain leaves cut them in small pieces and add a piece to each pastel for more flavor.

Aluminum foil:Use aluminum foil with butcher paper or plastic wrap on top to make a "wrapper." You may add a piece of banana leaf (if available) right on top.

Assembling the pasteles:
Grease center of the wrapper - using the back of a spoon dipped in achiote oil. HINT - Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop dough (this helps keep the pasteles the same size). In the center of the wrapper place 1/2 cup of dough and thinly spread it not more than 5-inches long and about 4-inches wide. Keep a small ruler handy to determine size until you can "eye-ball it." HINT - Use a 1/8 cup measuring cup to scoop the meat filling and fill just a bit over the brim. That should measure 2 1/2 tablespoons. Place 2 1/2 tablespoons of meat filling on the masa - a bit off the center. Fold the wrapper in half to close the pastel. If using foil, fold the edges over until tightly sealed. If using leaves just fold one over the other until completely sealed. Tie the pastel. (You may skip this part completely if you are using foil paper - simply make sure the folds are pressed securely.) Tie the pastel with string to hold it together. Make one run of string lengthwise and two runs the other way (see picture above). This will hold the banana leaves secure.

Cook the pasteles for 1 hour turning them once half way through cooking. Freshly cooked pasteles taste much better. Freeze them raw for using them later. Then you take them from the freezer & boil them for a little bit more time than the 1 hour recommended boiling time.