I love that there are so many ways to prepare plantains, my favorite food. Mangú, mashed green plantains, is a typical breakfast meal in the Dominican Republic. It’s become one of my favorite breakfast dishes. To see what a green (unripe) plantain looks like, go here.

I first made mangú, a while ago, when my Dominican friend, Rocío, gave me the recipe. Thank you, Rocío! I was so excited and since then, I’ve prepared it several times. You can serve mangú with onions (preferably red) and sausage, bologna, cheese or fried eggs. I like to eat my mangú with red onions and ox tails. The best thing about knowing how to prepare mangú is that I can eat it anytime I want, not just for breakfast. Yes!

Plantain, how do I love thee? I love thee so many ways!

Paz

Mangú served with red onions, eggs, and sausage

Mangú (Mashed plantains)
Dominican Cooking

Ingredients:
4 unripe (green) plantains
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of oil
2 large onions (*Paz note: I normally use red onions!)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 cup of cold water
Salt

Preparation:
- Peel plantains and cut into 8 pieces.

- Boil the plantains, adding 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. When the plantains are very tender turn off the heat.

- While the plantains are boiling, heat a tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan. Sautee the onions, add the salt and the vinegar. Reserve.

- Take the plantains out of the water and mash them with a fork. Add the butter and the cold water and keep mashing until it is very smooth.

- Garnish with the onions and serve with scrambled eggs or deep-fried slices of salami.

The other day, I found an interesting-looking recipe – Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup – in Tiempo New York, a local newspaper. What actually caught my eye was the fact that one of the ingredients included plantains – green plantains to be exact. Well, regular readers know how I feel about plantains. I love them. I immediately tore out the recipe and planned to make it for dinner that evening.

I managed to buy all the ingredients; except for the one I craved the most – the plantains. By now, I’ve learned that in all adventures, especially cooking ones, not everything goes as planned and one has to make due with what one has. Too tired to go to the store that sold the plantains, I had no choice but to cook without them.

Still, my Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup turned out well. The beef ribs added a succulent taste to the soup. The potatoes, lentils, celery, carrots were light yet filling. Instead of two small potatoes as the recipe dictates, a friend suggested using the baby potatoes, which is what I used. I liked that much better. The same idea applied to the carrot called for in the recipe. Instead of one whole carrot, I used a handful of baby carrots. I liked their perfect bite-size and the fact that I didn’t have to bother peeling or chopping anything.

So two things were missing from the soup: Plantain and cilantro, an herb I also love. I had the cilantro but by the time the food was cooked I was very hungry and forgot to add it to the soup. Luckily, I was able to spare a few minutes to take a photo before eating.

Plantain, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… I plan on making this Beef Rib and Lentil soup again very soon. Next time I’ll make sure it contains the plantain and cilantro. I believe those missing ingredients will enhance the soup flavor even more.

In the meantime, after the ingredients had the chance to meld together even longer, I found that my leftover soup tasted even better the next day. Mmm… Mmm good! Very good!

Paz

Ed. Note: I’ve made this recipe again, several times. Those times, I included the plantain (and cilantro), which you can see in newer photos below.

Dish made again in February, this time with plantains and garnished with cilantro (yum!)

Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup
Adapted from Tiempo New York by Viviana Palacios
Dining – page 12 (January 11–24, 2007)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
½ pound of beef ribs
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot*
1 chopped celery strip
2 diced potatoes (small)*
½ diced green plantain
½ cup of lentil
5 cups of water
Salt, pepper and ground cumin
2 tablespoon of chopped cilantro

Preparation
Before chopping your ingredients, set the lentils aide in a bowl of water for at least 20 minutes or more. Preheat a soup pan; add the butter, onions, celery, garlic and beef ribs, salt, pepper and pinch of ground cumin. You brown the ribs for about 5 minute then add the drained lentil, potatoes, plantain, carrots and water. Check for salt and pepper taste and let boil for about 30 minutes, or to the desired thickness. Lastly you sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top and you are ready to serve. I like to add a squeeze of lime for enhanced flavor – try it!

*Paz Note: I used a handful of baby potatoes and baby carrots, instead.

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Beef Ribs and Lentils prepared again with plantains (and garnished with cilantro)

Pastelón de Plátano (Ripe Plantain Pie)

“You scored a 10 on this,” my sister said as she reached for seconds of the Ripe Plantain Pie I’d made for dinner.

If I scored the food on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest mark, like my sister, I’d give it a ten, too. The pie tasted very good. Regular readers know from past posts that my all time favorite food is plantain.

I developed the taste for plantain as a youngster in Africa. Although my favorite way to eat plantain is in its plainest prepared form (kelewele), I like that there are different plantain recipes. Depending on the country, there are several ways to prepare it.

Since I love plantain and it goes back to my childhood days, it’s become a comfort food for me and I enjoy eating it in any form. So, when I found this recipe on Stephan Cooks, I knew that I’d try it. Thanks, Stephan!

This is a Puerto Rican recipe known as Pastelón de Plátano (Ripe Plantain Pie). Stephen describes it as “sort of the Shepard’s Pie of Puerto Rico, although a lot more interesting.” I have to agree. The piecrust is made from ripe plantains and the filling from ground beef (or pork). Add bacon, onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, olives capers, oregano and tomato paste and you have a scrumptious pie.

The recipe is fairly easy to follow. I made my piecrust and filling, and then I put them together and placed the pie in the oven. Yes, the oven. Thankfully, our heat wave spell has temporarily broken, so I was able to brave the oven. I practiced Ulrike’s trick when she baked Rosemary flatbread on one of the hottest days in the history of her country. I used the oven in the evening when the weather was a little cooler.

I served the plantain pie with salad. It tasted so good that no one left a crumb on their plate.

Gourmet meal at a fancy restaurant… $200
Fast food at Mc Donald’s… $7
Comfort food at home… priceless

This is my contribution to July’s From My Rasoi event. Meena from Hooked on Heat created this fun food affair. Revathi from En Ulagam is the guest host and has chosen comfort foods as the theme. What is your comfort food? Share them with us!
Deadline: August 1, 2006
Send your post link to: Revathicsm AT yahoo DOT com

Paz

Pastelón de Plátano (Ripe Plantain Pie)
Adapted from Rice and Beans and Tasty Things: A Puerto Rican Cookbook, by Dora Romano

Filling
1 lb ground beef or pork
4 oz bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1 small sweet pepper, finely chopped
2 small hot peppers, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
10 pitted green olives, chopped
1 T capers, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 T tomato paste
1/4 C water

Crust
4 large ripe plantains, boiled and peeled
3 T butter, softened

Sauté the ground meat and bacon until browned in a heavy skilled, stirring, over medium heat. Remove the meat, salt to taste, and set aside. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and add the onion and peppers. Sauté, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, olives, capers, oregano, tomato paste and water and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the meat to the pan and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make the crust, mash the plantains and mix in the butter. Line the bottom of a buttered 9″ pie plate with half of the mashed plantains. Spread the meat filling over the plantains and top with the rest of the plantains. Dot with butter and bake in a preheated 375º oven about 25 minutes, until nicely browned.

About to prepare the crust - boiled ripe plantain and butter.

Straight from the oven

Almost gone

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A yellow (ripe) plantain turning black

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Green (unripe) plantain

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Kelewele (here, plantain is cut in square shape)