Cuban Plantain Food

SOPA DE PLATANO (PLANTAIN SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.
• Add the sliced plantains and give everything a good stir.
• Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf and stir well.
• Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
• Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook the soup for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The plantains should break apart when pressed with a wood spoon, if they do not; continue cooking for 10 minutes and check again.
• Remove and discard the bay leaf.
• Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra salt to ours.
• Process the soup with an immersion blender or potato masher, if desired. Don't process all the way, leave the soup a little chunky.
• Garnish the soup with chopped cilantro (or parsley) and crushed plantain chips, if desired.

CUBAN SANDWICH WITH PLANTAIN CHIPS

Steps:

• For the sandwich: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have the pork at room temperature. Season it with salt and pepper. Put the roast into a baking pan and roast until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F, 40 to 45 minutes. Cover the pork with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. If not using right away, the roast can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days. When you are ready to make the sandwich, thinly slice about three-quarters of the pork roast (reserve the remaining one-quarter for Round 2 Recipe Black Bean and Pork Stew).
• Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Spread a thin layer of mustard on both sides of the bread pieces. Place 2 slices ham on the bottom half of each. Top with the sliced pork roast, then the pickles, and then the Swiss cheese. Place the top half of the baguette on top. Brush the grill with canola oil and place the sandwiches, cheese side down, onto the grill. Set a baking sheet on top of the sandwich and weigh it down with a heavy skillet or pot. Cook until the bottom is crisp and the cheese is starting to melt, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich over, replace the baking sheet and weight, and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the plantain chips: In a 2-inch deep cast iron skillet, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• Peel the plantains by slicing off about 1-inch from the top and bottom of each. With a paring knife, make a slice on each side the length of the plantain, making sure to go just deep enough to cut through the skin but not cut into the flesh. Peel the skin off to expose the flesh. If you have trouble peeling the skin then cut it off in strips with the knife. Cut each plantain in half and, using the slicing side of a box grater, slice the halves into thin chips.
• Cook the plantain slices in batches until they crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on brown paper or paper towels and season with salt.

CUBAN FRIED PLANTAINS (TOSTONES)

Steps:

• Cut the ends off each plantain.
• Run a knife down the back curve of each plantain, about 1/4" deep.
• Slip your thumb between the flesh and the peel, gently easying it off the plantain. Don't worry about bits of peel that stick, you can use the paring knife to remove those bits.
• Cut the plantains into 1" to 2" chunks. Not on the diagonal.
• In a large skillet, heat just enough oil to prevent sticking to medium.
• Fry a layer of plantains on medium low until light golden on both sides. About 5 minutes for each side. You can use a lid to ensure the interior of the chunks fully cooks without over browning during this first fry.
• Transfer to a paper towel lined plate when pale golden but tender in the interior.
• Flatten each plantain chunk with the bottom of a glass tumbler, measuring cup, or a tostonera if you have one. Press down on the plantains enough to flatten to about a 1/2" thick disc.
• Return the flattened plantains discs to the hot oil. Fry a second time until crisp around the edges that have squished out during their flattening, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Serve on a platter while hot after sprinkling with regular salt, or Chili Lime Salt.