Plantains are a staple in Cuban cooking and there are so many ways to eat them! When they are green you can boil them and then mash them or make tostones, which are flat and crispy. When they are yellow – or pinton (half-ripe) they are often used in soups or stews. My family’s favorite way to eat them is when the skin gets black, just like with an overripe banana. They are very sweet then and you just cut and fry them in slices. Nom nom. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t loved these sweet plantains that we call maduros and they are super easy to make. If you’re in Miami like the crew from the South Beach Security series, you’d find maduros at every Cuban restaurant! P.S. – If you haven’t read the series yet, it’s not too late to start it before the first K-9 Division spinoff releases in late May. I think you’ll love seeing what’s happening with Trey, Mia, and Ricky, the Gonzalez siblings. Download the series at https://amzn.to/3QBMj9J.
Ingredients
2 ripe plantains
3-4 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Directions
The most important thing is to make sure the plantains are ripe. They are just like regular bananas, going from green to black when they are the ripest. It may take a couple of weeks for a plantain to go from green to ripe, so you’ll have to be patient.
First thing, cut off the hard ends at either side. Then slit the skin lengthwise to expose the orangey flesh beneath. Slice on the bias to have nice long slices.
Put the olive oil in a non-stick skillet (or cast iron). Heat the oil until shimmering and then add the banana slices. Cook on one side until golden and caramelized then flip and cook the other side. Remove from heat and immediately salt to taste.
Mexicans also eat plantains and one tasty variation is to drizzle some Mexican crema and cotija cheese over the ripe plantains, but they are tasty just as they are also!
