Newspaper Page Text
Page 8B
The Champion, Thursday, May 14 - 20, 2015
LifeSttoO©
Looks like a banana, but eats like a potato! It's a plantain
Recipe
by Aarti Sequeira
(AP) My 16-month-old daughter has started
identifying her favorite fruit, joyfully crying “ba-
TA-ta! ” as soon as she spies the cheery yellow
fruit in our produce basket. She repeats its name
in the hopes that I’ll work my mummy magic on
the banana, snap the peel open and reveal that
sweet, creamy goodness within.
And so, when she spied the much larger lime
green banana-looking plantains sitting on the
counter this week, she couldn’t understand why I
wasn’t breaking one open for her.
I tried to explain that while plantains are
related to the sweet bananas she loves, they are
much starchier, less sweet and unpleasant to eat
raw. Once their peels turn first yellow, then black
(or maduro, as it’s known in Spanish), they do
begin to sweeten, but still need to be cooked.
They are divine when fried, as the sugars create
a lacy, honey-crisp coating while the lush interior
turns into custard.
She didn’t seem to get it. I expect this won’t
be the last time.
If you grew up in a Central American,
Caribbean, South American, African or even
a South Indian community, you’re probably
familiar with the plantain. In all these regions,
the plantain is eaten in both its ripe and unripe
incarnations. Boiled, braised, steamed or fried,
the plantain is as essential to their cuisines as the
potato is to ours.
The most popular plantain dish might be
tostones, a fritter with a fry-like crunchy exterior
and a fluffy, faintly sweet interior. They couldn’t
be simpler to make: 1-inch wide slices are fried
once, smashed, then fried once more. They make
a delightful change from your regular starch.
Tostones Eggs Benedict With Cilantro Sauce
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
4 large eggs
2 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro leaves and soft
stems
Pinch of sugar
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
2 large green, firm plantains
Heat the oven to 350 F.
Add 1 tablespoon of water to each of 4 cups
in a standard muffin pan. Break one egg into
each of the cups. Set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a medium
bowl combine the garlic and lemon juice, then let
stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil, then
the cilantro, sugar and a pinch each of salt and
pepper. Set aside.
To make the tostones, set a medium skillet
over medium heat. Add enough canola oil to fill
the pan with 1/2 inch. Heat the oil to 325 F (use a
thermometer to monitor it).
While the oil heats, prepare the plantains.
Slice off the ends of each plantain, then run
your knife down the length of each, cutting just
through the skin but not through the flesh. Repeat
on the opposite side of the fruit. Carefully pull
away the peel in 2 large strips. Do not discard.
Slice the peeled plantain into 1-inch-thick
oblongs.
Line a plate with a double layer of paper
towels. Fill a large bowl with water and salt it
generously.
When the oil is ready, bake the eggs for 12 to
14 minutes (12 minutes for a cooked white and
runny yolk, 14 minutes for a firmer yolk). The
water will rise to the surface and look like the
egg hasn’t cooked, but it has. Remove from the
oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, carefully add some of the
plantain slices to the oil, working in batches.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until very lightly
golden brown, then flip. Cook another minute,
then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the
paper towel-lined plate. Increase the heat to
medium-high.
Place a fried plantain on a cutting board.
Place a plantain peel on top, green side facing up.
Gently push down with the palm of your hand to
flatten the fried plantain until it is 1/4 inch thick.
Repeat with remaining slices.
When the oil is 350 F, one at a time quickly
dip each plantain slice in the salted water, tap
off the excess, then use tongs to carefully place
in the skillet of oil. Be careful of splattering oil.
Cook for 1 minute, or until golden brown, then
return to the paper-towel lined plate. Season
immediately with salt. Repeat until all plantains
have been fried a second time.
Place 3 tostones in a circle on each serving
plate. Carefully spoon a poached egg out of a
muffin cup and place on top. Season with salt
and pepper, then drizzle the sauce around the
perimeter of the plate and a little over the top of
the tostones. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving: 540
calories; 380 calories from fat (70 percent of
total calories); 42 gfat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans
fats); 215 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 3 g
fiber; 17 g sugar; 8 gprotein; 310 mg sodium.