Sweet Plantain Salsa With Tostones Food

SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• To peel the plantains, cut off ends and discard. With a paring knife, make 3 shallow slits lengthwise along the seams of the skin and peel away. Split the plantains lengthwise.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and place over medium low heat (plantains have a high sugar content and will burn if the heat is too high.) Fry the plantains in a single layer, until golden on the bottom then turn over with a spatula. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and let cook a few more seconds, just to begin caramelizing the sugar.
• Just before serving, melt remaining tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. Serve immediately.

AIR FRYER TOSTONES

Steps:

• Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 350˚ F. Toss the plantains with the vegetable oil and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Add to the air fryer basket in an even layer and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer the plaintains to a large piece of parchment and cover with another piece of parchment; smash each plantain with the bottom of a glass. Increase the fryer temperature to 400˚ F. Return the plantains to the fryer in an even layer (it's OK if they overlap slightly) and continue cooking until crisp, about 4 more minutes per side. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with salsa verde.

TOSTONES

Steps:

• Preheat oil to 350 degrees F.
• Cut plantains down the middle; peel away skin and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Add plantains to the hot oil and fry until golden; about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook as you want the center to still be raw. Lightly salt.
• Put the fried plantain through the old fashioned smasher. This will make it a cup shape.
• Place the "the plantain cup" into the deep-fryer and fry again until golden brown and fully firm, about 2 to 3 minutes Drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray. Season with salt.

TOTALLY TOSTONES

Steps:

• Put 3 cloves garlic into a mortar and add 1 teaspoon salt. Mash with the pestle until it forms a smooth paste; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut both ends off the plantains and run a knife just through the skin down the sides. Drop them into the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Take them out and plunge them into ice water. Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/2-inch thick slices.
• Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large skillet and fry the plantains, in batches, on both flat sides until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Press the tostones in a tostones press or on a cutting board with the bottom of a small heavy pot until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Toss them in a bowl with the garlic paste. Re-fry the tostones in the hot oil until golden brown.
• Serve as is with a sprinkling of salt or with a dab of one of the suggested toppings.

TOSTONES (FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place a few plantain slices in the oil, and cook until lightly golden in color, about three minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining slices.
• While the plantain slices are still warm, place them one at a time between two sheets of wax paper, and flatten by hand to 1/4 inch thick. Return flattened slices to the skillet, and continue frying until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and season with salt and garlic powder.

PUERTO RICAN TOSTONES (FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel the plantain and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides,; approximately 3 1/2 minutes per side.
• Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down.
• Dip the plantains in water, then return them to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

TOSTONES

Steps:

• Trim and discard the ends of the plantains. Use a paring knife to cut a slit along the length of the plantain to easily remove the peel, carefully avoiding cutting into the flesh. If the peel is too firm, use a spoon to lift the edges, then discard the peel. Slice the plantain crosswise into 1-inch rounds (about 8 pieces per plantain).
• In a large skillet, heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil over medium. When the oil shimmers, add the plantains, flat-side down. Fry until beginning to turn golden, about 1 minute per side.
• While keeping the heat on, transfer plantains to a cutting board. Working with one piece at a time, use a tostonera or large flat-bottomed cup to gently press each plantain to about 1/2-inch thick. (If using a cup, keep it as centered as possible to flatten the plantains evenly.)
• Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, pan-fry the flattened plantains until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer tostones to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. While hot, season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

TOSTONES WITH GARLIC MOJO DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the mojo: Finely mince or use a rasp grater to grate the garlic into a small bowl or the base of a mortar and pestle. Add the salt and pepper and use a fork or the pestle to mash into a paste. Strip the oregano and cilantro leaves off the stems and add them to the bowl, mashing them into the paste. Whisk in the sour orange juice or equal parts lime and orange juice and the olive oil. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Set aside while you prepare the tostones.
• For the tostones: Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven until it reaches 325 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• While the oil heats, peel the plantains and cut on the bias into 2-inch-thick pieces.
• Fry the plantains in batches until crisp and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper-towel-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining plantains.
• Move the pot the off the heat (do not discard the oil).
• Line a cutting board with parchment paper and gather a flat-bottomed glass and small bowl of water. Place a fried plantain on the parchment paper, dip the bottom of the glass in the water and use it to smash the plantain to about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the rest of the plantains.
• Put the oil on the heat again and bring it back up to 325 degrees F. Fry the smashed plantains in batches until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and serve hot with the garlic mojo dipping sauce.