Recipe(tried): Pickled Green Bananas, Escabeche Sauce, Green Bananas in Balsamic Vinaigrette, Marinated Green Bananas and Potatoes

PICKLED GREEN BANANAS FOR SALLY
(GUINEITOS EN ESCABECHE)

There are as many recipes for Guineitos en Escabeche in Puerto Rico as there are cooks. Here, for your enjoyment, several recipes. It is a shock to most American cooks to discover how good green bananas taste, either plain boiled or prepared with a sauce or marinade known as Escabeche. Buen Provecho!

TRADITIONAL PICKLED GREEN BANANAS
Ivonne Ort z recipe
Serves 6

4 lbs green bananas, unpeeled, and boiled for 20 minutes in 1 cup of milk plus 2 quarts of water
2/3 cup white vinegar
1 2/3 cups olive oil
1 tb salt
1/2 tb black pepper
1 cup alcaparrado Goya
4 bay leaves

Peel the boiled bananas and cut them in slices. Combine the remaining ingredients in a glass bowl. Add the bananas and toss well. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving. Better if marinated overnight.

ESCABECHE SAUCE
Ivonne Ortiz recipe
Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 cup olive oil
3 onions sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 tb salt
1 tb. Black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup alcaparrado, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a non-reactive pan. Add onions and saut for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook at medium heat for 10 minutes. This sauce can be served with fried fish (Sierra en Escabeche), poached chicken breasts or any other boiled root vegetable (Yucca en Escabeche o Yaut a en Escabeche).

GREEN BANANAS IN BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Ivonne Ortiz Recipe
Serves 6

2 cups milk 2 quarts water
1 tb salt
4 lbs unpeeled green bananas, halved crosswise
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tb black pepper
1 2/3 cups olive oil
1 cup pimento stuffed olives, sliced
4 bay leaves

In a large pot, bring the milk and water to a boil. Add the salt and the bananas. Bring again to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the bananas are cooked but firm, 20 or 25 minutes. Drain and peel the bananas and cut them in 1/2 inch slices. In large non-reactive bowl, mix the vinegar with the black pepper. Whisk in the oil. Add the olives, bay leaves and sliced bananas and toss well. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving. This dish can be refrigerated overnight. Before serving, return it to room temperature.

MARINATED GREEN BANANAS AND POTATOES
Oswald Rivera recipe
6 or more servings

3 lbs green bananas
2 1/2 lbs Maine or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 onions, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup pimento stuffed Spanish olives
2 cups olive oil
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup white vinegar

Boil the green bananas with 1 or two tsps. milk in 3 quarts of water until tender but still firm (10 to 15 minutes). Drain and rinse the bananas under water. Peel and slice. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but firm. In large serving bowl, alternate layers of bananas, potatoes, onions and sliced olives. In a glass jar, combine the oil, salt, pepper and vinegar. Shake well and pour over vegetables. Cover and store overnight in the refrigerator. Serve as a salad course or as an appetizer.