FROM COMADRES CONNECT! NEWSLETTER -- Summer Edition
Versatility
of Plantains
by Eris Garriga
We all like to eat! Eating is what makes family and friends stay connected and is an experience to enjoy. Cooking is an art which makes the cook create magic in the kitchen by experimenting with different ingredients. One of the ingredients easy and widely used in many ways in the kitchen is the plantain/plátano, green or ripe yellow: fried, mashed, boiled, baked, grated, roasted or grilled, and in flour form. It can be served as a snack, for decorating a dish, appetizer, drink, soup, main course or dessert. In the Dominican Republic mangú is popular plantain dish. In Perú, plantains are used to make a drink called chapo. In India, the stem of the plant is used to make juice. The plantain leaves are used for wrapping pasteles, and for covering the pigeon peas rice (arroz con gandules) while it’s cooking, two staple dishes for the holidays in Puerto Rico. The leaves are used also to wrap candy such as pasta de naranja (sour orange paste) and guanimes.
When you visit a Spanish restaurant, sometimes they serve plantain chips, or they decorate an appetizer with fried thin plantain slices. Almost all the time, as a side dish, you´ll find tostones (twice-fried plantain slices), also known as patacones in South America. In Puerto Rico we use plantains for various dishes: mofongo, tostones, pastelón, piñón, piononos, for sancocho, grated for soup or pureé (cremita), arañitas, stuffed balls, and mixed with green bananas to make pasteles. Recently, a video on YouTube showed plantains used in making empanadas. A favorite for many foodies are yellow plantains in making amarillos (fried sweet plantain slices), rellenos, with syrup in some versions. In Chicago, the jibarito sandwich is made with fried green plantain slices instead of bread.
In the 1859 1st edition of El Cocinero Puerto-Riqueño, its author
mentions that large green plantains are called machos and the ripe ones
hembras. Plátano is a plant/herb, not a tree, called mata de plátano in
Spanish. Even though the plantain is a fruit, many Puerto Ricans consider the
green variety a vegetable (vianda). Plantains are a good source of potassium
and high in fiber. Some plantain dishes noted above (pastelón, piñón) are
stuffed with meat or seafood. Vegetarians can substitute the meat for soy
protein, prepared and seasoned the same way as a meat filling. What follows is
a vegetarian recipe for stuffed plantain canoes or canoas de plátanos maduros
with soy protein, which you will find in my vegetarian cookbook Eris’ Green Kitchen (pg. 239). This is
a great dish for non-vegetarians to try out.
Stuffed Plantain “Canoes” /
Canoas de Plátanos Maduros
Portions: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large ripe plantains
2 cups crumbled soy protein
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sofrito
2 garlic cloves, finely mashed
1⁄2 tsp sazón or adobo
1 tbsp onion, finely minced
1 tbsp pimento stuffed olives, sliced
1 tsp small capers
1 tbsp red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 small tomato, diced small
3 cilantro sprigs, minced
1⁄4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp salted butter, softened
grated white tropical cheese or one of
your preference
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
peppers, tomato and cilantro. Sauté for
2 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add tomato sauce and soy
protein. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth. Taste for salt and
pepper. Cook 5 more minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Set aside.
3. Peel plantains. Cut lengthwise along the inside curve, being careful not to cut all the way through.
4. Cut 4 aluminum foil sheets, 10” x 10”, and brush them with butter or cooking spray. Place one plantain per sheet and then place them on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until almost golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
6. As soon as they cool, stuff them with the cooked soy protein. Top with cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted, approximately 5 more minutes.
Erisbelia Garriga (Eris to friends), a native of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, did her undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, and graduate studies at New York University. After some years in high school and college teaching, she worked for the NYC Health & Hospitals Corporation. After retirement, Eris has published four cookbooks: Homestyle Puerto Rican Cooking, Sabrosuras Boricuas, De la Tierra con Sabor, and Eris’ Green Kitchen. These cookbooks have been recognized by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, the International Latino Book Awards, El Instituto de Puerto Rico en la Ciudad de Nueva York, The National Puerto Rican Association Preserving Culture and Heritage, LLC, The New York Book Festival, and the 2020 International Book Awards. These four cookbooks promote the rich culinary tradition of Puerto Rico. You can find her cookbooks at https://homestylepuertoricancook.square.site, www.eriskitchen.net, FB/eris garriga and FB/Homestyle Puerto Rican Cooking Cookbook.
SUMMER TIPS
Drink plenty of water.
Stay indoors during hottest part of the day.
Wear sunscreen.
Wear
sunglasses.
Moisturize
often.
Enjoy
the great outdoors.
Connect
with your Comadres.
Read
Latino Lit!
AGUA DE PEPINO
Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
8 Mexican limes
8 Spearmint or mint leaves
1 cup of sugar
½ Gallon of water
Instructions: Peel
the cucumber and cut it into chunks.
Juice the limes. Add cucumber, lime juice, mint and 2 cups of
water to your blender. Pour mixture into ½ gallon pitcher,
add sugar and remaining water.
Stir. Chill or serve over ice. Garnish with spearmint leaf. Enjoy.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
I want to be like the waves in the sea.
I want to be
like the clouds in the wind.
But I’m me. One
day I’ll jump out of my skin.
And shake the
sky like a hundred violins.
--Sandra Cisneros
