I am finishing up my Green Series. I hope you have learned about different ways to eat foods that you are familiar with, but green.
The majority of the recipes I have shared with you are lower in fat and calories. But every now and then you have to splurge. And this recipe will totally surprise you. You can eat them as an appetizer, a side dish or a snack. That depends on how you cut and shape them. They are fried though no matter which way you slice them.


I am talking about GREEN PLANTAINS. Plantains are in the banana family, and just like bananas they are not as sweet when they are not ripe. As the plantain ripens the sweeter it gets, just like the banana..

ALL Latino specialty stores have green plantains. It is a staple in Caribbean cuisine. In doing research I found out that Africa eats them a lot too. Go to Wikipedia and enter the word Tostones and it will list the different countries enjoying tostones.


Here is how I learned to cook tostones, and I actually taught my chef how to cook them too.

TOSTONES- also called Patacones or Caras de Gato (Cat Faces) in other Latino countries.

Wash the unpeeled plantain. Take a knife and cut off the ends. Then with the knife score a cut down one side of the whole length of the plantain. Try not to cut into the fruit, just the skin. Flip it over and do the same with the other side. With your fingers start peeling the skin off. It is not like peeling a banana. The peel is thicker, hard and sticky. Once you have peeled the plantains, wash your hands and rinse the plantain to remove any sap residue. Dry the plantain with a paper towel.


On a cutting board cut the plantain into 1 to 1 ½ inch thick chunks. You can make then 1 inch for appetizer size. On the same cutting board, pour a little bit of oil on the board and spread it around. You will use this spot to squash the plantains. Also get a flat bottomed coffee mug and coat the bottom with some oil too. This is the tool you will use to squash the plantain chunks.

Have a frying pan with canola or vegetable oil deep enough to cover ½ the plantain . Heat the oil but don’t let it smoke or else you food becomes bitter. Put the chunks into the oil. When you see that one side has turned golden brown, flip the piece and brown the other side. Take one piece out and put it one the cutting board, take the cup and smash the plantain until it is flat. If it sticks to the cup, just take a fork to loosen it up. Put it back into the frying pan. Fry it until it is golden brown all over and crunchy. Transfer the tostones to a plate that is lined with paper towel to absorb the oil.

To serve as a side dish, sprinkle a little bit of salt. I know this is not 100% latino, but I love sour cream on them. My chef makes a vinegar mixture to sprinkle on them. Mix 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, one little envelope of Goya Sazon seasoning and a few dashes of tobasco, pour a few teaspoons on top. Or he makes a black bean salsa. Serving tostones with pork chops, black bean salsa and white rice is YUM!!

For an appetizer you can do it 2 ways, but not good for a big party since it is better to serve warm. This is great to impress a few folks though.
1) Cook as above. Take a piece of mozzarella cheese and put it in between 2 tostones while they are warm to form a sandwich. The cheese will melt and fuse together. You can top each one with the green salsa I posted earlier.
2) Once you squash the cooked chunk, take it in your hand and form a cup, or find something rounded to form the cup. Be careful, it might be hot, but this is when the plantain can be molded. Put the plantain cup in the oil and cook until crunchy. Transfer to the paper towel to drain. Fill each cup with some shrimp, topped with chopped onions and cilantro. Shredded chicken or ground beef topped with shredded parmesan cheese.

And if you have some Latinos friends over for dinner, make sure you have some salsa song playing and for sure you will end up dancing. Food and dancing runs through our veins more than blood.

Tomorrow I will show you how to make plantain chips to make Plantain Nachos.
Football season is here and we need new tailgate foods.

GO PANTHERS!!!