Plantains

  It was interesting to find Plantains served in some manner with most traditional meals.  If you ate at the hotel, plantains were not offered much but if you went out of the hotel to say a local cafe, then you would find plantain as part of the meal.

Plantains are similar to bananas but they tend to be more starchy and less soft unless they are fully ripe with the skin having lots of black.

The conference arranged for some snacks one evening at a social event.  They had fried plantains, plantains with meat, and other such delicacies.  I really enjoyed them because they were not super sweet and they had more substance to them than regular bananas.

Since returning, I've purchased a few plantains from my local store (they are between the bananas and organic bananas).  I've gotten a few green ones but I've also picked up a few with yellow skins but not yellow with black patches.

Fortunately, I could check the internet for recipes so I didn't have to struggle to guess at the ways I could prepare it.  I found a lovely recipe for mashed plantains but the author stated it required green plantains.  I finally bought some today but I haven't had a chance to try them.  I noticed that fried plantain chips are made from green plantains.

The two things I have tried with plantains turned out to be really really good.

First, I peeled a couple of plantains,  rubbed them with butter, then baked at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 min till they were golden brown.  I pulled the pan from the oven, slit the plantains open, placed slices of cheese in the slits, then baked them for another 15 min or till the cheese is nicely melted.  This recipe used ripe plantains.

Second, I peeled two ripe plantains, rubbed them with butter, then baked them at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 min till golden brown.  I pulled the pan from the oven, slit the plantains open, then sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon into the slit before returning it to the over to bake for another 15 min or so.  I let them cool just enough to handle and then devoured them.

At one of the cafe's I had this great dish with vegetables cooked in a garlic sauce served over mashed plantains.  That is on my menu for tomorrow night.  I can hardly wait to enjoy it.

Let me know how you fix your plantains as I am always open to new recipes.  I hope everyone has a good weekend.