My previous post was all about the fried ripe plantain, which introduced how to use a plantain at the end of it’s peak.

Double Fried Plantains, Tostones, utilizes the plantain in its green unripened stage.

Light, airy, salty, they are as satisfying as french fries and as addictive.

I remember watching my grandmother Mama fry thick rounds of green plantain pieces until they were golden yellow, then pass them out of the oil straight to my  grandfather, Koki, who would promptly place a round in the center of his wooden plantain press, known as a tostonera, and one by one, would flatten the batch, which would then promptly placed back into the hot oil by Mama, for a second frying. It’s was like watching them perform an intricate dance of fry, smash and fry. Once removed from the oil, they would be plated, salted,and served immediately, being passed from person to person, until there were none left.

I was not so graceful when I first prepared tostones. Mama and Koki had made it look so easy, that I underestimated the difficulty of the solo execution of the three step cooking process of frying/smashing/frying without burning myself or the plantains. I figured out that it was OK to turn off the oil after the first round of frying, and take my time smashing the plantains, then reheat the oil for the second fry process. They turned out just fine.

The tostonera press is not a necessary tool. Koki had also used a folded paper grocery bag and the heel of his hand bag to flatten them, which worked just as well. I did not have a tostonera and found the paper bag a good substitute, just make sure you fold it a few times, to protect yourself from the heat of the plantain. You can also place them on wax paper, fold it over, and use a thick flat surface such as cutting board to press down. You do not need or want to press too hard, causing the plantain to stick to bag & break into pieces. It’s really a gentle push to flatten the round.

If are into kitchen gadgets and interested in purchasing a tostonera, here are links to the online stores, Cuban Food Market, http://www.cubanfoodmarket.com, and Tostobueno, http://tostobueno.com/, which sell all kinds of tostoneras

The recipe for tostones is similar to maduros (sweet fried plantains), except for the added steps of smashing and re-frying. This is recipe is also mindful that there is only one cook preparing these, however if you have someone to smash while you fry, you can keep the oil on and continue with the second fry step. I recommend to provide your smashing helper with a cocktail, and yourself as well. Keeps the atmosphere festive in a hot kitchen.

You may use as many plantains you like, depending on the size of the crowd.

I like to serve them with Mojo, a condiment made from fresh garlic, salt and lemon juice.

Tostones

3 Green Plaintains

Canola or Vegetable Oil

For Mojo Condiment:

3 Lemons

8 Cloves of Garlic

Kosher Salt or Coarse Sea Salt

Mortar & Pestle

Small glass jar ( I use an old jam jar)

You’ll want to prepare the Mojo first to give the dressing time to come together.

Place the garlic and salt in the mortar and use the pestle to smash the garlic and salt into a paste. Transfer garlic paste into an jar  and add fresh squeezed lemon juice. Cover the jar tight and shake to mix. Let sit until ready to serve with Tostones.

Remove the peel of the plantains by cutting off the top part, then sliding your knife lengthwise, making an incision to reach the flesh. The peel should come off like a jacket. Slice your plantain into oblong slices, about an inch thick.

Pour an inch of Vegetable Oil in a frying pan and heat over a medium high flame. When the oil begins to shimmer, carefully place the plantains into the pan using tongs to help minimize the splatter. Fry the plantains, turning them so they turn golden evenly on all sides. This can take about a minute each side. You want to leave space between each plantain, in order not to dissipate the heat from pan, so you will need to fry them in batches.

Remove the plantains from frying pan and place on a paper towel covered plate to allow any excess oil to drain and add next batch to the pan. When you have completed frying all your rounds, turn off the stove.

Take a paper bag double folded and fold it in half again with enough length to fold over so they will have equal halves. Place your plantain round on center of one folded half of paper bag and cover with other half of bag and smash down to flatten plantain. Remove flatten plantain and place plate. Repeat until all are flattened.

Turn on the stove again to medium flame to reheat the oil. Start frying your smashed plantains. Only put a few in a time, as to not overcrowd the pan, to allow for maximum crispiness. Turn them over after a minute, as they will turn golden brown.

Remove from pan and allow to drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle them with salt. Continue the frying and salting process until all your plantains are double fried.

Serve immediately with Mojo condiment.
Buen provecho!

Sweet fried plantains, Maduros. Never would you think such a delicious treat could be yielded from piece of rotting fruit, yet in defiance exists Maduros.

The word maduros translates as ripened-which is the type of plantain you will be preparing. They are identified by their yellow to blackened yellow peel, ripened similar to a regular banana.

My sister Patricia recommends feeling the plantain to see if it is soft to the touch, as the yellow to blackened yellow peel may not always indicate that the plantain will be sweet. If they are firm to the touch, you can always put them in a paper bag and let them ripen further for a few days. Don’t shy away from the almost completely blackened plantain, for if the texture is soft, it will produce a very sweet fried treat indeed. Only the firm blackened ones are true pieces of rotted fruit and completely unusable.

A ripe soft plantain will ensure that the frying process will illicit a crispy rough texture on the outside, and sweet yellow filling within. I like to fry them until they are almost black, then split them open and watch their bright yellow insides goo out.

Maduros are served as the standard side dish. I like to eat a plateful of them as snack sometimes as well.

They are very easy to make and like all fried things, should be eaten immediately after cooking. When serving as a side dish to a larger meal, it is best to allot them as the last item you will prepare.

Maduros

2-3 Ripe Plaintains

Vegetable or Canola Oil

Remove the peel of the plantains by cutting off the top part, then sliding your knife lengthwise, making an incision to reach the flesh. The peel should come off like a jacket.

Slice your plantain into oblong slices, about an inch thick.

Pour an inch of Vegetable Oil in a frying pan and heat over a medium high flame. When the oil begins to shimmer, carefully place the plantain into the pan using tongs to help minimize the splatter. You will want to leave space between each plantain during the frying process to ensure they will be crispy, so you will want to do them in small batches. Fry the plantains, turning them so they brown evenly on all sides. This can take about a minute each side.

They will be ready as soon as they are lightly browned. You can also let them get a little more blackened if you prefer. They will still be delicious.

Remove the plantains from frying pan and place on a paper towel covered plate to allow any excess oil to drain. Add your next batch to the pan and repeat until all your rounds are fried.

Serve immediately.

Buen Provecho!