Laylita’s recipes

Every time I go to a store that has plantains I go crazy and buy way too many, this usually works out fine if the plantains are green because I have more time to use them and can start using them in dishes that are made with green plantains and then as they ripen use them in different ways. However when my plantain shopping spree includes only ripe plantains I have to use them a lot faster, this all started when I bought a bunch of ripe plantains for a New Year’s party and because I had so many dishes already planned I ended up making less fried ripe plantains than I expected, so back in mid-January I thought it would be a good idea to make a puree with the ripe plantains.

My first attempt to make the puree was very experimental and turned out okay but not great; the second time was much more successful and I was able to change or work with the issues I had the first time I made this plantain puree. I realized that since the plantains were much starchier that potatoes they need a lot more liquid (water and milk) to obtain a smooth consistency. Also these very ripe black skinned plantains are very sweet so in order to make this work as a non-dessert dish I needed to add spices and seasonings that would compliment and offset the sweetness; to do this I made a refrito (a base for dishes that consists of sautéing onions, garlic, spices and sometimes other vegetables in oil or butter) with onion, garlic, cumin, achiote or annatto powder, and chili powder. On my first try I pureed the ingredients using the food processor and it left the puree a little bit chunky so next time I used a blender and it worked a lot better. This ripe plantain puree works great as a side dish for meat entrees, I especially love the way it goes with lamb chops. Since I had a lot of it I also tried it as an appetizer or soup, in that case I suggest topping with your choice of crumbled queso or feta cheese, or sautéed bacon bits or chorizo, also caramelized onions are another great topping.

Ingredients:

6 extremely ripe (black skinned) plantains – washed well and cut in half (leave the skin on)

2 cups of milk

2 cups of water or broth from the plantains

1 ½ stick of butter, about 6 oz

1 cup diced white onion

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground achiote

1 tsp chili pepper powder – optional

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Boil the plantains for 30 minutes.
2. Let me them cool down until safe to handle.
3. Meanwhile prepare a refrito, heat the butter over medium heat, add the onions, garlic and spices, cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
4. Peel the boiled ripe plantains.
5. Working in batches, put the plantains, water, milk and refrito in a blender and mix until a smooth puree is obtained.
6. Transfer the puree to a pan and heat over medium low until warm
7. Serve as a side dish for meat dishes, can also be served alone with crumbled cheese, sautéed bacon, chorizo or caramelized onions as toppings.

Did you also buy too many plantains? Here are some other dishes you could try:

Patacones or thick fried green plantain chips

Green plantain empanadas

Fried ripe plantains

Baked plantains

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