Yes! We've Got No Bananas Today.

I'm part Puerto Rican and I love plantains. You kinda have to. They take your Boricua card away if you don't like platanos... I ran this column before but Internet gremlins took it down and I think it has enough good information it merits a second show.

One of the main reasons plantains are a staple in Latin American and West African cooking is that the fruit is extremely versatile. Unlike bananas, plantains must always be cooked before ingesting. Functioning as vegetable and fruit, a plantain can be served as an appetizer, in soup, as a main dish and even as dessert. Some people make fermented drinks from plantains as well. Starch has never been so delicious!

In the Caribbean there are these magnificent delicacies: tostones (twice-fried green plantains), mofongo (mashed green plantains “stuffed” with crackling), and little mashed balls with garlic salt that make for a very earthy soup.

Puerto Ricans also use the yellow plantains and stuff them with cheddar cheese for piononos, and its big sister dish is a meat pie called pastelon. These are a little labor intensive, but worth the effort once you grow accustomed to working with plantains in your kitchen.

There are three stages of ripeness for a plantain:

1. Green ones are relatively bland, much like root vegetables, but they pick up flavors and intensify them.
2. Yellow plantains are medium ripe and slightly sweet.
3. Fully ripe, are yellow with specs of black to fully black, and it turns softer to the touch as it ferments in its own juices, and smells sweet. Do not mistake this look for the fruit going bad, instead it is gold! At this point, it reaches a sweetness that is almost as unadulterated as fresh honey.

To peel a green or yellow plantain, slice off the tips and make a slit along the skin from end to end. Start peeling under running cold water; otherwise, its juices will run through and stain your countertop and hands.

The plantain stain is rather stubborn and Puerto Rican folklore claims it marks the soul of expatriates. Luis Lloréns Torres even wrote about it on a poem to the very stain, claiming that neither soap nor iron could take it off; and ends with the simple proclamation that as a Puerto Rican we'll carry the stain in saecula saeculorum. 

If the skin breaks, that’s okay, as you will discard it. To prevent oxidation place in a bowl of cold salted water before cooking -- plantains blacken like potatoes. If you employ this method, dry with paper towels before frying to prevent splatter. Ripe plantains can be peeled with relative ease, like a banana, because their skin is more pliable.

Plantain Bread

(Modified from a recipe from my late friend Carlos Sanchez)

Ingredients

1 cup mashed ripe plantain

½ stick of unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups flour

2 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking power

½ teaspoon salt

Procedure

Beat butter until smooth; add sugar, eggs and sour cream.

Blend plantains, flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture. Add the vanilla and beat thoroughly.

You may add crushed almonds or raisins or even a few chocolate chips in the mixture.

Pour into a greased and floured pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. Check with a wooden toothpick. When it comes out dry, the bread is done.

Plantain Chips (Platanutres)

1 or 2 large green plantains

salt

garlic powder

oil for frying

Procedure

Slice plantains paper thin using a food processor as you would for potato chips. Fry handfuls at a time until golden (depending on how hot the oil is, this should take a few minutes), do not crowd the pan or they’ll start sticking together. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil and sprinkle with a dash of salt and garlic powder. These are crispy and delicious on their own, with a tangy salsa, or dipped in a garlic sauce.

Oven Roasted Sweet Plantain

Cut the tips off a sweet plantain. Place in a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes at 400-degrees.

Take out and slit the skin lengthwise, peel back the skin and discard. Cut along the center and split in half lengthwise, apply a dab of butter to melt and a dash or nutmeg or cinnamon. (You can add a bit of a tangy shredded cheese over it for a sweet and savory combination.)

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These are simple recipes that can give the uninitiated a good starting point to begin working with plantains. If you are lucky enough to have a fully stocked supermarket that carries Goya frozen foods, you may try these out to assess their taste and texture. If you are luckier to have a Latin American restaurant near you and can afford a little treat, I highly suggest it. I'd start with tostones with garlic mojo sauce (or even the fried ripe plantains, which are richly sweet and kids will love it).

The Twitter feed #KaliFoodGoddess includes a fantastic recipe from the blog Delish D'lites for Plantain Cups with Shrimp and Avocado Salad: it is designed for a more experienced cook but a sensational recipe we look forward to making soon!