For the Latino/West Indian chefs: what's you best recipe for cooking sweet plantains?

Or you can just tell me how you like to cook them.For the Latino/West Indian chefs: what's you best recipe for cooking sweet plantains?
INGREDIENTS:


vegetable or peanut oil for frying 3 medium-size, very ripe plantains (skin should be black), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick diagonally















































1 In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 F, or until a plantain round sizzles when it touches the oil. Fry as many rounds as will fit in a single layer, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes for each side, turning with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper-towel-lined platter and serve immediately. (If you are frying a large number of plantains, keep them warm in a 200 F oven until ready to serve.)For the Latino/West Indian chefs: what's you best recipe for cooking sweet plantains?
Sweet Plantain and Chocolate Empanaditas





Empanaditas--small sweet or savory turnovers are popular throughout Spain and Latin America.








Filling:


1 cup (1-inch-thick) sliced soft black plantain (about 1/2 pound)


2 tablespoons fat-free sweetened condensed milk





Dough:


2 cups all-purpose flour, divided


6 tablespoons ice water


1 teaspoon cider vinegar


2 tablespoons powdered sugar


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup vegetable shortening


Cooking spray





Remaining ingredients:


5 teaspoons 2% reduced-fat milk, divided


1/4 cup granulated sugar


1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips





Preheat oven to 400掳.


To prepare filling, cook plantain in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine plantain and condensed milk in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Set aside.





To prepare the dough, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour, ice water, and vinegar, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry, tossing with a fork until moist.





Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on 2 lengths of heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle; freeze 10 minutes or until wrap can be easily removed. Remove wrap; place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 24 circles using a 3-inch round cutter.





Place circles on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and lightly moisten edges of dough with water. Spoon 2 teaspoons plantain mixture into each circle. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush the tops of dough evenly with 1 tablespoon 2% milk; sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar.





Bake at 400掳 for 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine the chips and 2 teaspoons 2% milk in a small bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate over empanaditas. Serve warm.





Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 empanadita)








Pastelon, Sweet Plantain Casserole


Recipe courtesy of Evette Rodriguez


Ingredients:





16 oz bag fresh or frozen green beans


Water to boil


陆 cup dark Bacardi, Puerto Rican Rum (optional)


4 oz dark raisins


2 tablespoons olive oil


4 tablespoons of Sofrito, (recommended, my blend; alternatively, Goya frozen Sofrito)


2 pounds lean ground beef


1 tablespoon garlic powder


1 tablespoon onion powder


1 teaspoon Indian spice mix; you can find this in the ethnic isle of your grocery store


陆 teaspoon black pepper


陆 packet Latin seasoning mix, (recommended, Goya Sazon)


陆 tablespoon salt or to taste


2 heaping tablespoons Spanish olives


1-2 cups of organic beef stock


12 large sweet plantains very ripe (50 percent black)


2 cups of oil for frying


12 slices Swiss cheese


2 large brown eggs








Instructions:


In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt and add the frozen green beans; cover until the water comes back to a boil. Remove the lid and boil for 3-5 minutes depending on desired tenderness. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Remove beans from heat and drain into strainer. Transfer the beans into the ice water for a minute or so to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, remove from the ice water and drain; set aside.





Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the dark rum. They will plump up and absorb some of the rum which you will add to the beef mixture later.





Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and the Sofrito, cooking until golden. Add the ground beef and cook until just turning brown. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, Indian spice mix, black pepper, Latin seasoning mix and salt mixing well with a large cooking spoon. Add the olives, beef stock and the raisins soaked in rum and bring to a fast simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10-20 minutes adding stock as necessary until the meat reaches the desired tenderness.





In the meantime, heat a 12 inch frying pan over medium heat. Cut the tips of the plantains off, cut the plantains in half and cut the halves lengthwise into three slices beginning from the top of the plantain down to the bottom (down the length of the plantain half). Add the oil to the hot pan while you are prepping the plantains. Once the oil is hot; (you should be able to drop a small piece of plantain in the oil and hear it sizzle immediately) begin to carefully place the plantains in the oil one at a time being conscious not to crowd the pan. Lower your heat to medium low. Fry each side for 3-5 minutes or until very golden brown but be careful not to burn them or they will become bitter. Remove the finished plantains from the pan and place on a cookie sheet lined with a cooling rack (this will allow the plantains to cool while dripping all of the oil onto the cookie sheet). Proceed in this manner until all of the plantains have been fried and cooled





While the plantains are frying, check the ground beef; the meat should have reached the desired tenderness by this time. Uncover the pot, raise the heat and allow half of the cooking liquid to reduce if it has not done so. Taste the beef for flavor and add salt to taste if necessary.





Once both components have completed the cooking process you are ready to build the casserole. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.





Spoon some of the beef mixture onto the bottom of a 11 陆 x 8 inch glass baking dish as a base for the plantains. Build your casserole in this order; plantains, beef, veggies and Swiss cheese finishing with the plantain. You should have 3 layers of plantains and two layers of beef when you are finished. Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk until light and fluffy and pour over the entire casserole.





Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to rest, covered loosely with foil for 5 minutes before you cut and serve.











Chef's Comments:


To serve; cut medium squares and serve on large dinner plates. You can serve a nice mixed baby green salad with tomatoes and store bought balsamic vinegar dressing with this dish quite nicely.


Servings 6-8


Prep Time 35 Minutes


Cook Time 30 Minutes
Mutton curry with france bread
Wow, you got great replies here.... i cook it simply by slicing it thinly, add jackfruit, sprinkle brown sugar and wrap it in a springroll wrapper and deep fry....