Plantain Mofongo With Shrimp Food

MOFONGO CON CAMARONES (MASHED PLANTAINS WITH SHRIMP)

Steps:

• Begin by heating a medium frying pan of three teaspoons of oil. Add the sofrito, garlic, and onion into the pan over high heat. Sauté and stir the ingredients for three to five minutes.
• Next, lower the heat to simmer and pour the tomato sauce into the frying pan. Also, stir in the medium shrimp and water. Set aside and stir occasionally. Once shrimp are pink, place heat to lowest setting.
• Heat frying oil in a separate large pan. Place piece by piece of the chicharrónes and deep fry them. Set aside over a wire rack or bowl with a paper towel to cool and soak remaining oil.
• Peel and chop the green plantains into 1-inch slices. Then, fry the green plantain slices until golden color. Set aside over wire rack. Place three to five fried plantain slices inside pilón while adding chopped up chicharrónes and salt. Mash the ingredients together. You may add a little bit of the cooked shrimp liquid while mashing if the mofongo is too dry. However, make sure mofongo is dry enough to shape.
• Finally, continue until desired mofongo serving amount inside pilón. While serving, shape mofongo into a ball and place onto the plate and flatten the top. Place shrimp over mofongo and pour liquid over the shrimp. Garnish with cilantro and salt for taste.

MOFONGO WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• In a frying pan, over medium heat, heat oil and cook plantains for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Be sure not to overcook or plantain will be too hard. Remove plantains from pan and remove excess oil by dabbing with paper towels. In a small frying pan , cook garlic cloves and bouillon until golden brown.
• **For this part, usually a pestle and mortar are used, but I didn't have a set available so I improvised.** In a large bowl, smash plantains with fork.
• Add garlic powder, salt, and garlic cloves. Line a small round bowl or container with plastic wrap.
• Press plantains into bowl until completely compacted. Remove the pressed plantains from the bowl and put on plate.
• In a frying pan, over medium heat, cook shrimp, lime juice, butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Cook for 2 minutes. Add shrimp to the plate around the plantains.

MOFONGO WITH SHRIMP (MASHED GREEN PLANTAINS WITH SHRIMP)

Steps:

• Fill a large skillet with oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 365F.
• Place the crushed garlic, water, chicken bouillon in the microwave and heat for 1 minute. Set aside.
• Carefully add the plantain chunks to the heated oil and fry them for 4 minutes on each side.
• Remove the plantains from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb oil.
• Place the plantain chunks in a bowl or pilon (wood mortar) , add the water and garlic mixture and mash until smooth consistency. Mix well, cover and set aside.
• To make the shrimp: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the red pepper, garlic, tomatoes and cumin. Cook for about 7 minutes more.
• Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the tomato mixture. Cook for about 7 minutes more. Add the cilantro and mix well.
• To serve, divide the mashed plantains equally into 4 small bowls. Top each bowl with 6 shrimp and creole sauce. Serve immediately.

MOFONGO STUFFED WITH CRIOLLO SHRIMP STEW

Steps:

• For the shrimp stew: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and add to a bowl. Toss with the adobo, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, smoked paprika, olives and brine, cilantro, onion, red bell pepper and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in half of the beer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom, and cook down for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and the rest of the beer. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquids reduce by a third, about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and keep warm.
• For the mofongo: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add the corn oil. Heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees F or it bubbles when in contact with a wooden spoon.
• Add the plantains to the oil, lower the heat to low and fry, flipping halfway through, until light golden and cooked through but not yet crispy, about 15 minutes. Drain the plantains on paper towels and season with salt.
• Combine the olive oil and garlic in a mortar and pestle and process to form a paste. Season with about 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.
• Add 5 to 6 chunks of the fried plantains, 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture and about 2 tablespoons of the crushed pork rinds, if using, to the same mortar and pestle. Mix until well mashed and combined. Scoop out the mofongo with a spoon and use your hands to form the mixture into a bowl, creating a cradle for the shrimp stew. Repeat 3 additional times.
• For serving: Return the stew to medium-high heat and cook until it starts to simmer. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, then continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Plate the mofongo and spoon the shrimp stew into them.

MOFONGO

Steps:

• Heat canola oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mash the garlic with the olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Combine garlic mixture with the pork rinds in a large bowl; set aside.
• Fry the plantain chunks until golden and crispy, but not brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the fried plantains into the bowl with the garlic mixture. Toss to coat. Mash the coated plantains with the mortar and pestle until smooth. Season with salt. Roll the plantain mixture into two large balls or several small balls before serving.

SHRIMP MOFONGO

Steps:

• Make the mofongo: Fit a large pot with deep-fry thermometer. Pour in enough canola oil to reach 2 inches up the side of the pan. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 325 degrees. Add plantains and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Carefully transfer plantains to a paper-towel-lined rimmed baking sheet to drain.
• In a mortar and pestle, smash 2 garlic cloves, making sure you have a thin coating of garlic on the bottom. Transfer plantains to the mortar, add adobo seasoning and pork rinds and mash until softened and well combined.
• Make the shrimp: Place the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add 4 smashed garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn.
• Add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Pour in wine and lemon juice and let reduce on low heat until a thick sauce forms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Firmly pack the mofongo into a small bowl to mold and turn over onto a plate. Spoon the shrimp and sauce on top of the mofongo and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

SMASHED GARLIC PLANTAINS - MOFONGO

Steps:

• Mix handful of salt into a bowl of cold water and soak plantain chunks. Place stock in saucepan over low heat to warm. Bring at least 1 inch of oil to about 350 F degrees in a deep skillet.
• Meanwhile, cook chicharrones or bacon until crisp; remove from heat and drain. Remove plantains from water, drain and dry them on towels, then deep fry the pieces (careful, they may spatter) until golden brown and tender. Remove from oil. Flatten the plantains using the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass bottle or a tostonera if you have one. Fry the plantains again for 30 seconds on each side until slightly crispy.
• While the plantains are still hot use a wooden mortar and pestle to mash them with the garlic and the chicharrones. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• You can also use a food processor - add the plantains to food processor with bacon, garlic and some salt and pepper. You may have to work in batches. Process to consistency of mashed - not whipped - potatoes. Do not over process!
• Place the mixture in soup bowls or wooden pilons, douse with broth, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

VEGAN MOFONGO (FRIED MASHED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Fill a 1-quart pot with water; boil plantains with a pinch of salt until easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
• Mash plantains with tomato sauce, cilantro, sofrito, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, and sazon in a mortar or glass bowl. Incorporate the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and enough vegetable broth to ensure that mofongo sticks together but is dry enough to easily slip out of a container. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve mofongo on top of the remaining 5 tablespoons vegetable broth in a bowl.