Remember how yesterday I talked about how I made ketchup to go with the tostones I’d been craving? Well what kind of person would I be if I didn’t share my tostones recipe? An awful one, that’s what kind, so here you go.
My First Introduction to Tostones
In 1998, when I was 15, I went back to the Dominican Republic (went back cause the first time I went was for my birth. That’s right, yo soy Dominicana). We stayed with a host family and they made the most delicious food of my life. I love food.
Every day for lunch we would eat tostones with ketchup, they were so yummy. I still have dreams about those tostones.
And since I don’t want you to live one more minute in a world where tostones aren’t at your fingertips — here’s my recipe.
To Note About Tostones
This recipe will serve one. Unless you’re a delicate fairy in which case it will serve four.
As plantains ripen (turn yellow like bananas) they get sweeter. The greener the plantain the starchier and more french fry-like they will be.
The greener they are, the harder they are to peel. I usually slice lengthwise and peel horizontally. It seems to work.
- 4 green plantains (no hint of yellow, green, green)
- 2 cups of sunflower oil
- sea salt
- ketchup
- Heat oil in pan on stove and slice plantains into ½-1 inch disks
- Fry plantains in oil for a couple of minutes per side until golden
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towel lined plate. Then using a tostonera if you're fancy (or the back of a wooden spoon if you're me) smash the fried plantain and return to the oil. Fry until golden brown (yummy looking).
- Sprinkle sea salt over plantains and serve with ketchup.
Serve with: Cuban Beans and Rice or Arroz con Pollo or Pork or nothing!
Drink with: Mojitos, always.
You don't need a culinary degree to make sophisticated food. I want to improve your food education. Sometimes I travel and wear new clothes, and I'll tell you about that, too.
[…] (stinky french creamy cheese) and accoutrements (pears and apples), and I decided to fry up some tostones. Not that those french cheese and the Caribbean’s version of french fries really go […]