6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot, bunch!

Plantains. Wow. I use these suckers all the time. Plantains are one of the few items of produce that is available year-round, whether it is rainy or dry. There's only so many plantain chips that I can handle, so, time to get creative. 

The recipe in this blog is a fusion of Nicaraguan and American comfort. The people I've cooked for are excited to try new things, but don't want to jump out of the plane without a parachute. Also, tourists to Nicaragua are increasingly more 'crunchy' and/or health conscious and/or simply vegetarian, so they appreciate the thought that goes into creative and local vegetarian plates. Down with the "grilled vegetable medley!"

The lasagna I make with the ripe, sweet plantains is simple and vegetarian. It's easy to adapt and modify, and always tasty! The key is cooking it covered long enough to make sure that the starchy plantains cook all the way through.

Plantain Lasagna

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Nicaraguan “queso seco”

1 recipe of Simple Tomato Sauce, below

3 ripe, yellow plantains, sliced 1/8” thin on a mandolin

2 cups arugula

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9 inch loaf pan by lining it with foil overhanging the edges. This will create a sling to remove the finished lasagna. Next, lightly oil all 4 sides of the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the mozzarella and queso seco.
3. Using about 1/8th of each ingredient, begin to layer the food. Begin with a few spoonfuls of sauce along the bottom. Next, place a layer of plantain, followed by arugula and cheese. Repeat 7 more times, ending with the cheese.
4. Cover pan with foil and place in center of oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a knife can be inserted into the lasagna without feeling any resistance. This means that the plantains are fully cooked. Remove foil and broil for about 5 minutes, until top layer of cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
5. Let cool for about 20 minutes before removing lasagna from foil. Slice into 4 portions and serve with a fresh herb salad.

serves 3 as a second course.

Simple Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups diced onion

2 Tbs. finely chopped garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup red wine

1 Tbs. finely chopped basil

1 Tbs. finely chopped (Cuban) oregano

1 tsp. chile flake

4 cups canned, diced tomato with juice (about two 16-ounce cans, I like Muir Glen)

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add onions and garlic and sweat for about 10 minutes, until tender and slightly browned.
2. Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated. Next, add red wine and reduce until almost dry.
3. Add the basil, oregano, chile flake and tomato. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes more, until sauce is thick and tomato flavor is rich. Season with salt and pepper.

plantains gone bananas!

any good chef knows how to cook with plantains. so says Lisa of Top Chef: Chicago. 

I use the bananas out of plantains because they are so plentiful here in Nicaragua (at some point, I'll post my recipe for plantain lasagna). After leaving Granada and the mainland, I’ve been on Little Corn for about 2 weeks. If you were overwhelmed reading about my last post regarding getting products to a small lake resort, multiply it by 5 and you’ve got the jist of getting products to the Caribbean (for example, don’t order papaya, because it smushes all over every other item. fail.). One treat (and source of chaos) is the farm on our property, products that I can get without ordering them 10 days in advance. The most plentiful products are yuca, coconuts, and plantains. I have devised a list of what products we can get, and the grounds crew picks the goods up for us in the morning. 

Pablo and his garden crew help me out by helping to harvest any products I need each morning. Most of the time we can get everything on the list, but it depends on how busy the day is and whether different plants are fruiting. Because some of the guys can’t read, I had to reorganize my list system: the template has pictures of each item as well. The guys pick green plantains by the bunch (day-o?). For this recipe, I ripen them under a towel for a few days and they turn yellow and soft, perfect for dessert!

Chocolate Crisp with Plátano Maduro

Topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup whole oats

6 Tbs. flour

3 Tbs. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

3 ounces of cold butter, cut into cubes

For the filling:

3 cups chopped yellow plantains, boiled until soft

2 Tbs. dark Flor de Caña rum

1 tsp. lime juice

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. flour

pinch of salt

For the topping, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using cold fingers or a fork, cut the butter into the dry mixture to create a crumbly mixture with small balls the size of peas. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the filling, I used ripe plantains, but they were still a little starchy and raw. I steamed them cut up pieces in a pot with a few inches of water in it until they were bright yellow and soft. Next, combine the cooked plantains with the remaining ingredients and toss well. 

Place filling in a greased baking dish (a 9” round or 3-4 quart pyrex will work just fine). Gently layer the topping over the filling without packing it down. 

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, until topping is dark and crispy. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

this recipe is versatile for any tropical fruit. mango season starts soon! *i did not make up the topping for this dessert, it is from a dessert cookbook.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!