Join us this week as we visit Allrecipes' cook, Nelly, as she prepares not one, not two, but for deliciously easy Puerto Rican appetizers from the simple plantain! And to top it off, a melt-in-your-mouth Garlic Shrimp will surely have you believing you've discovered Nirvana!
The filling for tostones rellenos can vary greatly: Ceviche, octopus salad, pico de gallo, salsa, garlic shrimp, etc. These are stuffed with picadillo (seasoned ground beef) and cheese, but use your imagination. The possibilities are endless!
View Nelly's Tostones Rellenos (Stuffed Plantain Cups) Recipe >>>
These are great as a side dish or appetizer!
View Nelly's Tostones (Twice Fried Green Plantains) with Mayo-Ketchup Dipping Sauce Recipe >>>
Another quick and fun way of preparing green plantains, Aranitas (little spiders) come out really crunchy and look so pretty on the plate. Remember to season them as soon as they come out of the oil.
View Nelly's Aranitas (Shredded Green Plantain Patties) Recipe >>>
Mofongo might not look like much, but it sure is tasty. Mashed green plantains with garlic, olive oil and pork rinds (or bacon), Mofongo goes well with chicken or fish broth and can be stuffed with garlic shrimp, carne frita or octopus salad. It can also be formed into small balls and dropped in soups or served directly in a mortar. This is sure to become one of your guilty pleasures!
View Nelly's Mofongo Recipe >>>
Quick, easy and delicious shrimp that can be served over white rice or mofongo.
View Nelly's Camarones al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) Recipe >>>
Allrecipes' cook, Nelly, is a Nuclear Medicine Technologist, mom, wife, and adventurous cook! Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she first moved to North Carolina and finally to Fenton / St. Louis, Missouri where she now calls home. She loves to fill her daytime hours planning meals, cooking, and baking, and it's easy to see that the experience has paid off! Additionally, Nelly started running in August of 2009 and has discovered that she is quite fleet of foot, running many 5Ks for charity and loving every minute of it!
Q: Do you open a plantain just like a banana?
A: No. Plantains should not be peeled like a banana. The skin is much too thick for this to be done correctly. The best way to open a plantain is to cut off each end. Then make a slice down the middle. You will then be able to easily unwrap the rest of the plantain peel.
Q: Can you fry both yellow and green plantains?
A: Yes, you can fry both yellow and green plantains for excellent, crispy dishes. Just peel the plantains, and slice them vertically into quarter-inch sections. Drop them in a pan containing about 1/2 inch of super-hot oil. Green plantains take about 30 seconds per side, while yellow plantains take closer to 45 seconds per side. Green plantains are better for savory dishes while yello plantains are perfect for sweeter dishes. Sweet yellow plantains are a fun change for holiday meals.
Q: Where can I find plantains?
A: Some large grocery stores and chains carry them, but your best bet is a Latin-American or international foods market. These stores carry the widest variety of plantains.
"We were sitting at the tables in the port, eating an unhurried breakfast of delicious mojarra fish from the swamp and slices of fried green plantain, when my mother resumed the offensive in her personal war." ~ Gabriel García Márquez, Living to Tell the Tale, Chapter 1, 2002.
I think it's important to start this off with a little bit of information about the unique plantain. Fried plantains are a traditional treat in many parts of the world. Plantains have been a fixture of Latin-American cuisine for hundreds of years. These delicious fruits are inexpensive and versatile, making them a perfect accompaniment to many different dishes. As a plantain ripens, its high starch content changes to sugar. While plantains look a little bit like their cousin, the banana, they are less sweet and need to be cooked before they are eaten. Plantains keep their shape when cooked and can be used in soups, stews, boiled and mashed. Most Puerto Rican recipes that use plantains call for green plantains and need to be VERY green without a hint of yellow.
Ok, with that out of the way, we first headed out to see a little bit of St. Louis, Missouri. Nelly was a perfect tour guide as we visited the iconic arch and took a riverboat tour on the mighty Mississippi. From there, we headed back to her kitchen because she was going to be cooking for us not one, but five separate dishes!
I love the names of all the dishes we created today, but my favorite was Mofongo which I ended up saying at least 20 times in a horrible Al Pacino / Scarface accent. Nelly was very patient as we created 4 dishes from the very versatile plantain, followed up by a to-die-for shrimp dish that was very easy to make. Thank you, Nelly for a great shoot and your great accent, and I hope to visit your kitchen again!
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