Mashed Ripe Plantain Food

MASHED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle plantains with salt and cayenne; drizzle with oil to coat. Arrange, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cut sides of plantains begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Turn plantains; roast 10 minutes more.
• Mash hot plantains on baking sheet with a potato masher until somewhat smooth (some large chunks should remain). Transfer to a serving bowl, and drizzle with lime juice.

MASHED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Combine 3 chopped ripe plantains in a saucepan with 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspon kosher salt. Cover with water and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Mash the plantains. Brown 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet, 6 to 10 minutes. Mix into the plantains; add enough of the reserved liquid until creamy. Season with salt, pepper and ground cinnamon.

PLANTAIN MASH WITH BACON

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the onion, garlic and bacon. Cook until the bacon is crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the stock and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the plantains. Simmer the mixture until the plantains are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream and the salt and pepper. Mash together until well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
• *Cook's Note: Add a little more stock if the mash is too dry.

MOSA (PLANTAIN FRITTERS)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Cut off the ends of each plantain. Use a sharp knife to slice the peel along the length of each plantain without cutting into the flesh. Remove peels and discard. Slice plantains crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, pound or pulse the plantains into a coarse purée. Avoid making the purée too smooth, especially if using a food processor.
• Set aside 1/4 cup scallions for garnish. Stir or pulse the remaining 1/4 cup scallions, the garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet pepper into the purée in the mortar or processor. Add the purée to the cornmeal mixture, and stir until the batter is just combined and resembles a shaggy dough. Fold in the sour cream.
• Line a sheet pan with paper towels or set a wire rack in the pan. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a medium saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high to 325 degrees. If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, test the oil temperature by lowering a pea-size drop of batter into the oil. Bubbles should form around the batter, and the drop should float to the surface.
• Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, use a small dessert spoon to drop heaping teaspoon-size portions of the batter into the hot oil and fry, turning frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. The batter should not darken too quickly or take too long to cook through, so maintain the oil temperature by raising or lowering the heat as needed. Transfer the mosas to the paper towels or rack using a slotted spoon or tongs. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve warm, garnished with the remaining scallions, with fry sauce alongside.