This months Kosher Connection is a really excited one! It’s the Great Blog Swap and I was lucky enough to receive The Kosher Gastronome as my inspiration. We were each assigned a different blog and were asked to choose a recipe as inspiration for our own blog post. I had trouble choosing only one recipe since Nossi’s blog is all about figuring out the science behind what he eats and cooks and that is so up my alley! Not only is The Kosher Gastronome a blog filled with incredible recipes, but Nossi is also a great writer and each post pulls me right into his kitchen. After highlighting over 10 recipes that inspired me, including Non-dairy key lime cheesecake bars with key lime caramel, leek fritters and banana pomegranate coffe cake, I finally decided on these incredible platanos fritos! I’ve been meaning to cook with green plantains for a while and when I saw Nossi’s post, I knew it was the one. Really, I’ll just take any opportunity to fry something! I made a few adjustments to his recipe, including a spicy dipping sauce, and I just knew I had to make a sweet version dipped in cinnamon and sugar, just like a churro!
We also have a really great GIVEAWAY for you to celebrate one year of Kosher Connection! We are giving away two prizes from Emile Henry. A Bread Cloche valued at $130 and a 4.2 qt Dutch Oven valued at $170! Use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post to win- you can enter up to 23 ways! Two winners will be chosen at random. Contest Fine Print: The contest winners will be contacted via email. They will have 48 hours to respond before other winners are chosen. This contest is open to United States residents over the age of 18.
Savory Garlic Tostones
adapted from The Kosher Gastronome
2 green plantains
2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
Spicy Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lime juice
I prepared the spicy dipping sauce so it would be ready as soon as the tostones came out of the frying pan. I just stirred the mayonnaise, chili powder, paprika and lime juice together and set it aside. Then came the fun part! Frying up some delicious green plantains.
Unlike a banana, which is sweet and easy to peel, green plantains are harder, not as sweet and a big tougher to peel. I cut off the ends of the plantains, made two slits in the sides with a sharp knife and slid my thumb underneath the skin to peel it off.
I cut the plantains into 1 inch rounds and set them aside while I prepared the oil. I placed 2 cups of vegetable oil in my frying pan with a candy thermometer and heated the oil over medium heat to 325 degrees F. I fried the plantains for 2 minutes, flipped and continued frying for another 2 minutes. You want the hot oil to go half way up the sides of the plantains.
I carefully removed the plantains with tongs and placed them on my cutting board. I lightly pressed down on each plantain with my bench scraper (you can use the flat bottom of a cup or bowl as well) to smash them to around half their size.
I combined the water, garlic, salt and chili powder and added the smashed plantains to the bowl. After one minute, I removed the plantains and placed them on a paper towel to dry. You don’t want to leave your plantains in the garlic water for more than a minute or they will soak up too much of the liquid.
I brought the oil back up to 325 degrees F and carefully placed the soaked plantains back in the oil. I fried the plantains for 2 more minutes per side.
I removed the plantains with tongs and put them on a cooling rack, which I placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet to catch any dripping oil. I immediately sprinkled some salt and pepper on the plantains while they were still hot so they could absorb the flavor.
I served the plantains with the dipping sauce and a sliced lime and they were all gone in less than a minute! These fried plantains are definitely better fresh but I can tell you that they are delicious the next day (yes, I saved one to see if it reheated well in the microwave).
If you are looking for a less traditional fried plantain and something to satisfy that sweet tooth, boy do I have something special for you! These sweet tostones are inspired by one of my favorite desserts that I can’t believe I still haven’t made for Kitchen Tested…churros!
Sweet Churro Tostones
2 green plantains
2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
4 oz. chocolate, melted, optional for dipping
I followed the first few steps of the savory tostones; slice plantains in 1 inch rounds, fry on each side for 2 minutes in 325 degree F oil. Smash to half the size. But then instead of soaking the smashed plantains, I dropped them in a bowl of the combined cinnamon and sugar and coated on all sides.
I reheated the oil to 325 degrees F and fried the sugar and cinnamon coated plantains for another 2 minutes on each side. I placed the refried plantains back in the bowl of cinnamon and sugar and tossed to coat again. I placed the plantains on a cooling rack and to cool slightly.
I melted some chocolate for dipping and devoured the sweet churro plantains!
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