I had some yams and semi-green plantains around so I thought of
roasting them (roasted veggies are all the rage now, but I'd never
seen plantains as candidates for this). These plantains were still
a bit green; I think they would have made good tostones. I cut
the plantains and yams into 1/2" rounds, tossed the rounds in olive
oil, salt and pepper, and roasted at 475 degrees F for about 20-25
minutes.

I figured that the yams and the plantains were of similar hardness
and starchiness, so what would work for one would work for the
other. Well, I was wrong. The yams turned out great: tender and
flavorful; the plantains were crunchy on the outside but starchy
inside.

Hoping to troubleshoot the preparation, I looked up some recipes
for roasted plantains online, but the ones I found are not illuminating
(they say to do basically what I did).

Is it possible to get good roasted (green) plantains? If so, what's
the trick?

Thanks,

Jill

J Krugman wrote:
>
> I had some yams and semi-green plantains around so I thought of
> roasting them (roasted veggies are all the rage now, but I'd never
> seen plantains as candidates for this). These plantains were still
> a bit green; I think they would have made good tostones. I cut
> the plantains and yams into 1/2" rounds, tossed the rounds in olive
> oil, salt and pepper, and roasted at 475 degrees F for about 20-25
> minutes.
>
> I figured that the yams and the plantains were of similar hardness
> and starchiness, so what would work for one would work for the
> other. Well, I was wrong. The yams turned out great: tender and
> flavorful; the plantains were crunchy on the outside but starchy
> inside.
>
> Hoping to troubleshoot the preparation, I looked up some recipes
> for roasted plantains online, but the ones I found are not illuminating
> (they say to do basically what I did).
>
> Is it possible to get good roasted (green) plantains? If so, what's
> the trick?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jill

I don't think you will be able to. While you can roast ripe plantains, the
green ones are difficult to roast unless you accept that what you got is
basically what they are. Green plantains are resinous and unless you mash them
you are still going to get that flavor.

Tostones are mashed down between two cooking stages partially because the
resin is squeezed out on mashing. You may try roasting them partially, taking
them out and mashing them like tostones but lengthwise and then finishing
roasting. They should be less mealy but they would still be somewhat crunchy.
You would probably end up with long, flat tostones.

For roasting ripe plantains cut them in pieces about 2-1/2 to 3 inches long,
leaving the skin on and roast (microwaving is perfect) until they start to
ooze out of the skin. Since you can eat ripe uncooked plantains (they must be
soft ripe but no black skin ripe) the degree of doneness is not very
important. A nice garlic based mojo complements them perfectly. Recipe for
"mojo crudo" follows but you must be a garlic lover for it.

Mojo crudo

4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
Juice of two limes or lemons or (best) one freshly squeezed sour orange
salt (about a teaspoonful, amount not critical)
olive oil (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)

In a mortar mash the garlic with the salt until it is a uniform paste. Place a
spoon in the mortar and make sure the citrus juice is close by, you will need
it quickly.

Heat the olive oil in a small pot until it starts to smoke. Pour into the
mortar. As soon as the garlic starts to fizz add the citrus juice. This must
be done very fast as the idea is to quench the boiling before the garlic
starts to burn. Stir.

Serve in the mortar. Spoon over your plantains (or boiled yucca or malanga or
even boniatos).

You may have to experiment with the amount of salt to get the right flavor.

The stuff will separate into an oil portion and a citrus-garlic portion on
standing. Just stir.

It keeps well in the fridge but will congeal. Just warm to room temperature,
stir and use. Ignore the greenish color the garlic may take.

Warning: for garlic lovers only.

Bert
"Helooo... Wheeere is Heeerald Squaaaare?"

Bert, thanks for the tips on plantains, and especially for the mojo
crudo recipe. Can't wait to try it. Too bad sour oranges are
impossible to find around here (Boston). They are ubiquitous in
Cuban recipes... As always, I'll have to make do with limes...

Jill

"J Krugman" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> I had some yams and semi-green plantains around so I thought of
> roasting them (roasted veggies are all the rage now, but I'd never
> seen plantains as candidates for this). These plantains were still
> a bit green; I think they would have made good tostones. I cut
> the plantains and yams into 1/2" rounds, tossed the rounds in olive
> oil, salt and pepper, and roasted at 475 degrees F for about 20-25
> minutes.
>
> I figured that the yams and the plantains were of similar hardness
> and starchiness, so what would work for one would work for the
> other. Well, I was wrong. The yams turned out great: tender and
> flavorful; the plantains were crunchy on the outside but starchy
> inside.
>
> Hoping to troubleshoot the preparation, I looked up some recipes
> for roasted plantains online, but the ones I found are not illuminating
> (they say to do basically what I did).
>
> Is it possible to get good roasted (green) plantains? If so, what's
> the trick?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jill

Hi Jill...

The very nature of green/greenish plantains defies roasting basically
because it has a low water content at this stage. The riper the plantain,
the moister it is... ergo, it will not wind up like a roasted hockey puck...

BUT!!!

Here's what works for me...

Take your greenish plantains (what we call "pintos" in Puerto Rico becaue
they have splotches of lighter green or yellow on the skin and they're
softer to the touch), peel them, and cut them in half right down the
middle... you'll have 2 pieces that look like horns <smile>...

Place them, individually, in a piece of aluminum foil big enough to fold
over and twist the ends... make a deep cut in the platano but not all the
way down... sprinkle a dash of adobo seasoning with pepper on it and put
some queso de bola (Edam cheese) or sharp cheddar cheese in the cut... add a
couple of pats of butter to this (or 3 or 4 if they're big platanos) and
wrap it up... make sure the neds are twisted tight and the top of the
platano with the cheese faces up...

Place the platano packs in a baking pan and cook it at 350 degrees until you
can pierce it with no resistance... just make sure you don't pierce it
straight through or the yummy stuff will leak out... when it's done let it
stand for a few minutes and enjoy!

It sometimes takes 30 minutes, sometimes 45... it all depends on the degree
of ripeness...

You can also cook this on your grill with great results...

Now, if you love pinto plantains, get some to make the stuffing for your
turkey... just make sure it's more green than ripe...

hope this helps...

Sandra

In > "Foxy Lady" > writes:
>Take your greenish plantains (what we call "pintos" in Puerto Rico becaue
>they have splotches of lighter green or yellow on the skin and they're
>softer to the touch), peel them, and cut them in half right down the
>middle... you'll have 2 pieces that look like horns <smile>...

>Place them, individually, in a piece of aluminum foil big enough to fold
>over and twist the ends... make a deep cut in the platano but not all the
>way down... sprinkle a dash of adobo seasoning with pepper on it and put
>some queso de bola (Edam cheese) or sharp cheddar cheese in the cut... add a
>couple of pats of butter to this (or 3 or 4 if they're big platanos) and
>wrap it up... make sure the neds are twisted tight and the top of the
>platano with the cheese faces up...

>Place the platano packs in a baking pan and cook it at 350 degrees until you
>can pierce it with no resistance... just make sure you don't pierce it
>straight through or the yummy stuff will leak out... when it's done let it
>stand for a few minutes and enjoy!

I finally tried this last night. Delish, even though I probably
got half of it wrong. For one thing, I did not have adobo on hand
(I made do with salt and pepper). I've never bought adobo, I don't
even know where to get it. Any brand/type you recommend? Also,
I used Piave (my latest favorite) for the cheese. I must confess
that I was uncertain about the cheese part, because, although I
love cheese in practically every form, amazingly enough I'd never
had cheese on plantains before. Now I wish I had put *more* cheese
into the plantains! I did have a hard time stuffing cheese into
the cut; I'm tempted to just pile the cheese on top of the plantains
next time.

Very tasty. Thanks!

Jill

> I finally tried this last night. Delish, even though I probably
> got half of it wrong. For one thing, I did not have adobo on hand
> (I made do with salt and pepper). I've never bought adobo, I don't
> even know where to get it. Any brand/type you recommend?

If your supermarket has a Spanish food section, you can probably get some
packaged by Goya.



"J Krugman" > wrote in message
...
> In > "Foxy Lady" >
writes:
> >Take your greenish plantains (what we call "pintos" in Puerto Rico becaue
> >they have splotches of lighter green or yellow on the skin and they're
> >softer to the touch), peel them, and cut them in half right down the
> >middle... you'll have 2 pieces that look like horns <smile>...
>
> >Place them, individually, in a piece of aluminum foil big enough to fold
> >over and twist the ends... make a deep cut in the platano but not all the
> >way down... sprinkle a dash of adobo seasoning with pepper on it and put
> >some queso de bola (Edam cheese) or sharp cheddar cheese in the cut...
add a
> >couple of pats of butter to this (or 3 or 4 if they're big platanos) and
> >wrap it up... make sure the neds are twisted tight and the top of the
> >platano with the cheese faces up...
>
> >Place the platano packs in a baking pan and cook it at 350 degrees until
you
> >can pierce it with no resistance... just make sure you don't pierce it
> >straight through or the yummy stuff will leak out... when it's done let
it
> >stand for a few minutes and enjoy!
>
> I finally tried this last night. Delish, even though I probably
> got half of it wrong. For one thing, I did not have adobo on hand
> (I made do with salt and pepper). I've never bought adobo, I don't
> even know where to get it. Any brand/type you recommend? Also,
> I used Piave (my latest favorite) for the cheese. I must confess
> that I was uncertain about the cheese part, because, although I
> love cheese in practically every form, amazingly enough I'd never
> had cheese on plantains before. Now I wish I had put *more* cheese
> into the plantains! I did have a hard time stuffing cheese into
> the cut; I'm tempted to just pile the cheese on top of the plantains
> next time.
>
> Very tasty. Thanks!
>
> Jill