Cooking Matt

Tostones with lime-and-garlic mojo

Posted by Matthew A. Gonzalez

Tags: Appetizer, Cuban, Plantains, Side dish

I haven’t had a chance to highlight any appetizers or side dishes, so I decided to make tostones — a fried, flattened and re-fried green plantain covered in a homemade, lime-and-garlic mojo. They are a staple of any Cuban restaurant and are very good.

Ingredients for two

• Green plantain
• Corn oil
• 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• clove of garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tbsp lime juice

Tools & cookware

• Meat tenderizer
• Stove
• Large frying pan or skillet with a cover
• Small bowl or saucer

Instructions

1. Peel the plantain and cut into inch-long pieces.
2. Pour the corn oil into the pan on medium heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough when a drop of water makes the oil sizzle.
3. Place the plantains in the frying pan and cover. Turn the plantains from time to time to cook evenly over a period of 5 minutes.
4. Remove the plantains from the pan onto a plate and pat dry them.
5. One by one, with the flat side of the meat tenderizer, flatten each plantain into a thin, circular shape. Do not mash them too hard or they will fall apart. Any piece that does come apart, try to mash it back in.
6. Put the tostones back in the frying pan and cook uncovered for another 3 minutes on each side.
7. Remove the tostones and allow them to drain on a plate with a paper towel. While still hot, salt each side of each of the tostones to taste.
8. While the tostones are cooling and draining, mix the lime juice, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, parsley and salt in a small bowl.
9. Serve your tostones as an appetizer or a side to any Cuban dish. Be sure to dip the tostones in plenty of mojo.

• Delicious
• Digg
• Reddit
• Facebook
• Stumbleupon