Maduros Plantain Food

MADUROS (PLANTAIN)

Steps:

• Heat approximately 1/4" oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Peel the plantain, and cut at an angle, making slices about 3/4" thick.
• Brown plantain in oil, approximately 2 minutes a side, or until both sides are brown.
• When browned, remove from skillet and place on a paper towel covered plate to drain the excess oil off.
• Serve hot.
• The traditional way is to serve plain, but I like to sprinkle them with a little bit of salt for a nice, salty sweet taste.

MADUROS (FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Use a paring knife to cut a slit along the length of the plantains, carefully avoiding cutting into the flesh. Remove peels and discard. Slice plantains at an angle crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 12 pieces per plantain).
• In a large skillet, heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, add half the sliced plantains and fry until golden brown, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The plantains should be caramelized and slightly crisp at the edges but still tender in the middle.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer maduros to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining sliced plantains. Serve immediately.

FRIED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Trim both ends of the plantains, then use a paring knife to make 3 lengthwise cuts through the skins (try to avoid cutting into the flesh). Space the cuts evenly apart across each plantain. Gently peel away the skins, using the cuts as guides. Slice the flesh on a slight bias into 3/4-inch pieces, for about 24 pieces total.
• Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, dip the edge of 1 plantain piece into the oil. It should immediately start to bubble vigorously. If not, allow the oil to heat up for another minute. If the oil is ready, carefully add half of the plantains in an even layer. Cook until browned in spots on the first side, about 2 minutes, then use a slotted metal spatula to flip. Cook on the second side until browned in spots, about 2 minutes.
• Flip the plantains again, immediately lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the plantains until they are very tender and deeply browned, 4 to 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes to ensure even cooking. The cooking time will depend on the ripeness of your plantains and some pieces may cook faster than others, but you can just remove them as they finish cooking.
• Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Season generously with salt on both sides. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining plantains, adding more oil if needed to maintain 1/4 inch.

PLATANOS MADUROS

Steps:

• Cut ends from plantains and peel fruit. Diagonally cut plantains into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a large nonstick skillet heat 1/3 cup oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté plantains in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. With a spatula transfer plantains as sautéed to paper towels to drain and season with salt if desired.
• Serve plantains immediately.

FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS (PLATANOS MADUROS FRITOS)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat; add the plantain slices and fry for about 4 minutes on each side, moving the slices with a spatula occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Remove the plantains from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
• Transfer to a large, warm serving platter, sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and serve warm.
• *unripeplantains are green and hard, as they ripen they turn yellow and then get mottled with dark spots; Ripe plantains are sweet and soft and are brownish-black in color and resemble overripe bananas; To ripen a plantain, keep them in a warm place until they turn yellow, then brownish-black.

MADUROS (SAUTEED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel plantains, cut into 1/2" slices. Toss with sugar and salt.
• Saute in butter, over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.

SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Peel and pit the avocado and scoop the flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt, and purée until smooth. Set aside while you fry the plantains.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat ⅛ inch oil to 350°F. Add the plantains and cook, flipping every 3 minutes or so, until deeply golden brown, soft, and juicy, about 12 minutes total. Remove the fried plantains to a plate lined with paper towel, and sprinkle with salt.

PLATANOS MADUROS (COSTA RICAN FRIED RIPE PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.
• Fully peel plantains, and cut them diagonally into approximately 1-inch wide pieces, working your way down the length of the plantain. (NOT length-wise slices).
• Carefully place pieces of plantain in skillet.
• Flipping often, fry plantains until golden brown. The Plantains will be rather mushy - they're supposed to be.
• *They will be sweet - the riper the plantains, the sweeter they will be. (They will NOT taste like patacones, if you've tried those) If you prefer them sweeter, you can sprinkle with sugar before cooking.

MADUROS

Steps:

• Heat approximately 1/4 inch of oil, or just enough for plantain slices to be halfway submerged, in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Cut off the ends of the plantains. Slit the skin of each plantain by running the tip of your knife from one end of the "rib" to the other; peel the skin. Cut at an angle, making slices that are about 3/4-inch thick.
• Brown plantain slices in the hot oil until brown, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel-covered plate to drain off excess oil. Sprinkle with salt while still moist.