One of my few regrets about being a vegetarian is that there are few Cuban foods that we can eat anymore. Those delicious Cuban sandwiches all have meat. Of course, we still have our black beans, always a family favorite, and there are these tostones.
There are (at least) two types of plantains commonly available here, the sweet ones (maduros) and the green ones, known to Cubans as platanos verdes. The green plantains are larger and firmer than the sweet ones, although they are often yellow rather than green (the picture above should help). Platanos verdes are Gabe's favorites and it didn't take the rest of us long to be won over by these tasty little fried treats.
McDonald's isn't the only place to figure out that twice frying makes for a tastier end result. These tostones are fried, smashed, and fried again. The crowning touch is a sprinkle of salt and a bit of minced fresh garlic. The garlic is strong. Make sure that everyone eats some so that you all have equally strong breath. As a side bonus, you'll keep the vampires away.
Second Helping: Olivia's Warm Goat Cheese Salad
Thirds: Grilled Corn with Cilantro-Lime Butter
Cuban Tostones (Fried Plantains)
If you want to cut the plantains ahead, you can leave them submerged in water so that they do not brown. Remove them and drain them a few minutes before frying. The first round of frying can be done up to 24 hours in advance so that all you have to do just before serving is fry them again one more time and add the topping.
Makes about 25 tostones
15 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time
5 green plantains (see note above)
canola oil for frying
sea salt for sprinkling
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Peel the plantains and cut each into approximately 2-inch sections.
Pour enough canola oil into a deep pot so that it will be deep enough to generously cover the plantain sections. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. To test to see if the oil is hot enough, break off a small piece of one of the plantain sections and drop it into the oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot.
Cook the plantain sections in batches, making sure that in each batch, there is some space between the plantains for the oil to circulate. When the plantains are golden, remove them from the oil and drain them on newspapers covered with a paper towel.
One at a time, put the plantain sections into a paper bag and smash them with something heavy, a mallet or a rolling pin works nicely. This is definitley something that children would enjoy doing.
After you have smashed all of the plantains, if you would like to put them aside for later, wait until they have completely cooled, then wrap them in foil and store them for up to a day.
When you are ready to eat them, fry the tostones in batches again until they are a deep golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon from the oil and transfer them to newspapers covered with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with salt while they are still warm. Keep the tostones warm in a low oven (200-250 should do it) until you have finished frying all of them.
Prepare the garlic mixture by mashing the garlic and olive oil together with a mortar and pestle until the garlic cloves have broken down and form a lumpy paste. Add a few sprinkles of salt and mix again. Set aside.
Just before serving, top each tostone with a dollop of the garlic mixture. Eat them while they're hot!
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Couldn't you replace meat by eggplants? Sometimes it works.
And by the way those plantains look absolutely out of this world.
Posted by: Chantal | July 21, 2011 at 11:36 AM
That's a good idea, Chantal. Eggplant just might be the key to making a vegetarian Cuban sandwich.
Posted by: Margy | July 24, 2011 at 02:09 PM