Okay, so I could have let my plantain ripen further 'til it was completely black (the riper the sweeter), but it kept tempting me every time I went into the kitchen. I just had to fry it last night. Whether they look like this or are completely black, this is how we slice and fry them.
Cut the ends of your plantains and discard. Cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of the peel. Remove the peel. Cut the plantain diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces (wider for riper plantains as they tend to fall apart if too thin). In a frying pan on medium high heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and place the pieces in one at a time, reduce the heat if the plantains start to brown too quickly. Flip the plantains over until brown on each side. (riper fried plantains will turn a deep rich brown, almost black). Remove from the pan onto a paper towel lined plate. That's it.
Those maduros look fabulous! Now, if you put some vino seco (dry cooking wine) and some brown sugar towards the end of the cooking process (being EXTREMELY CAREFUL not to cause splatter on the oil or in any other way that cold cause a nasty fire) you'd end up with Plátanos Borrachos. My father and his wife used to make them all the time when we lived in Camagüey and they are delicious! Again, just be EXTREMELY CAREFUL with how you mix these ingredients towards the end. I've seen flames shoot up towards the roof as my father was doing it, but he is a very experienced cook and luckily was never burned . I wouldn't dare. Call me a Cuban chicken, if you must... Hugs and kisses.
ReplyDeleteLos platamos maduros son una exquisitez Son muy buen acompañe del moro de habichuelas.
ReplyDeleteTambien son buenos los "patacones". Esos son platanos verdes fritos.
I'm another Cuban in the Midwest (Iowa) and I have such a hard time finding good platanos! Even when I let them get black, sometimes they are still hard in the center. My best story is the time I went to the supermarket and they were throwing out about seven of them because "they were black and past their prime." Free maduros, and those turned out perfect!
ReplyDeleteI understand you completely. That has happened to me where they are hard in the middle, and you're right, the Americans don't know what to do with them... black = rotten. LOL
ReplyDeleteIf you can find Goya frozen plantains, I recommend them.
If you want "really" well ripened platanos. when they have turned black like in the picture above and about 2 days before you need them, do an old trick that my family has done for ... well as far as I can remember to guarantee a sweet Platano. Take the platano and place it between your hands and roll it (i.e. give it a thorough massage) not too hard just thorough. by the next day it will be almost if not totally black and by the second day it will be extremely soft. We just had our Noche Buena in Houston, Tx and had a wonderful transactional Noche Buena meal and of course Platanos maduros were one of the central side dishes. Feliz Navidad all!!
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