tostones

I live alone. Therefore, I don't have to follow any food rules at home. This occasionally leads to things like tostones and wine for dinner. These are pretty traditional (I understand) in Latin American households, as a breakfast treat.

Tostones are fried plantains. A plantain looks like a banana, but has more starch in it. Before they're ripe, they're practically unpalatable - they're like a raw potato. But when they look like bananas past their prime, they are sweet and oh so delicious.

Most plantains I get at my local grocery store are green. And when they're green, they're inedible. I like my plantains yellow to the point of turning brown or red. So, I buy them green and pop them in my produce drawer (not in the fridge - I keep a drawer in the cabinets full of potatoes, yams, and plantains...and sometimes garlic) until they turn yellow-red.

These plantains get double fried, and get beat up a little. Have fun.

Ingredients

1 ripe plantain
a bowl of salted water
vegetable oil
salt

Peel your plantain. You'll need to use a knife to cut a slit down the side, but you should be able to peel it from there. Slice it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put the pieces in the (very) salty water.

Put a pan on high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the pan about 1/4 inch up the sides. I use a wooden spoon to check if my oil is hot enough. Just stick the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil - if a bunch of bubbles appear around the spoon handle, your oil is ready.

Dry off the plantain pieces and slide into the oil when the oil is ready. You just want the slightest bit of color on this first fry, and that won't take long. Flip them over once you start to get the little bit of browning. When the other side is slightly (slightly!!) browned, take them out of the oil and place them on paper towels. Remove the oil from the heat so it doesn't get too hot.

Then, using a meat mallet or other flat and heavy item (I use a heavy bottomed water glass), smash the plantains so they're about 1/2 inch thick. Do this gingerly at first - you don't want to really mush them all up or break them apart.

Once they're flat, return the oil to the heat and do the spoon test again. When the oil is ready, put the plantains back in. This time around, you want to let them cook until the edges turn crispy and brown. Flip them, and let the other side brown up, too.

Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt while they're fresh from the pan, and serve.

UPDATE: They're also great baked. I came home from vacation earlier this week and found a practically black plantain in my kitchen. I sliced it into 1/4 inch pieces (like a banana), tossed the pieces in a teaspoon of canola oil and baked at 400* F for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Wowza, were they good. I think extra ripe and baked may win the plantain contest.