Platanos

For those of you who already know about plantains, I don't think you need any extra information to convince you of how wonderful they are, because you probably already love them.  For those of you that don't, allow me to introduce you. 

As far as I can tell, plantains are one of the only fruits that can be eaten at all stages of ripeness.   When they are green they can be cooked and seasoned and paired with savory foods and dips. As they ripen they get softer and sweeter and are usually eaten with fried eggs, rice and beans, or used as "noodles" for a lasagna-style recipe called pastelón.

They are a great source of potassium and fiber, which help with digestion.  They are also high in Vitamins A and C.   One plantain has about 200 calories so it is a really great way to get those good calories (read: energy) into your diet.  They do not have as much sugar as bananas, but like all fruits, the sugar that they do have is easy for your body to assimilate and digest. 

The bonus for me, especially this week (as I battle the inches and inches of snow that are piling up in front of my house), they contain natural mood enhancers so they are good to eat during these winter months that have less daylight.  

Yesterday, I was in the mood for mofongo.  It is a delicious, garlicky plantain mash that is usually topped with pork cracklings.  Typically, mofongo is made from mashed fried slices of plantain.  But I decided to reduce the fat and boil the plantains (which is the way it is usually done for the Dominican Dish mangú).  While they boiled in salted water, I caramelized some onions and mashed a little bit of garlic, salt and olive oil,  in a pilón, a wooden mortar.  

 boiling plantains in salt water

Once they were soft, I added the plantains to the pilon and mashed them little by little with the garlic and salt.  Once they were all mashed, I added a little bit of the salt water that they boiled in to make the plantains moist and shaped the mixture in to round balls. We ate them with shrimp that I picked up at Whole Foods, and it was a delicious combo!  Definitely healthy comfort food.  

mofongo with shrimp