Midnight Plantain to Georgia

Fried plaintains, or in this case Tostone Frites, made from green (unripe) plaintains(like bananas only not) that are twiced fried - because two frys are better than one. I recently sampled these in a tapas restaurant and upon some brief research found out that they are a popular side dish or appetizer in many Latin American countries, including Cuba and Puerto Rico. That knowledge of course led me to my zany BFF Anne (see A Flan to Remember), whose husband is from Puerto Rico, but of Cuban decent - a twofer as far as the cuisine is concerned. Here is what Anne had to say about the salty taste treat: The cooking method is different depending on if they are very ripe (blackish and soft) or green and hard.  Tostones are always the salty ones.  Cut them about an inch thick.Deep  fry for a few minutes.  Take them out and press down on them to flatten--there is even a device to do this called a tostenara--then put back in oil until brownish.  Take out and salt.  The sweet ones, plantanitos, you cut at an angle about 1/2 inch thick and fry until they are very deep brown (they will be a little sticky (because of the sugar in them).   Clearly, the voice of experience talking as far as fried green plantains are concerned.

Midnight Train to Georgia, the 1973 number one hit by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Where to start? First, this song is one of my all-time faves. Second, growing up in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood of Detroit, we had the pleasure of being neighbors not only with Gladys, but with the Pips (Bubba, Edward and William) as well as her mother, and attended school with the children. I remember that if the leaves were down off the trees, you could sometimes see Gladys on her front porch (when she wasn't out on tour) get her morning paper from our dining room window - which I realize now sounds a bit stalkerish. Anyway, those were the good ole days. Everybody's talking about the good ole days. Try to remember, and if you remember it so, so mellow . The skies were bluer and the smiles were bright. Can it be that it was all so simple then? It certainly seemed that way, until Gladys picked up and moved to L.A. (and now owns a string of chicken and waffle restaurants in Atlanta) Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Gladys having decided to go solo, left the Pips without a lead pipe. Richard Pryor saw the comedy in this during his short-lived TV variety show and the the rest is history. (Play the video)

The Recipe:

3 to 4 cups canola or peanut oil for frying
2 green plantains
salt or garlic salt (or both if you are a bit loco)
Tostones are twice-fried plantain chips. When making Cuban tostones, first use green plantains (plantains with a black skin are ideal for platano maduro - the sweet and soft dessert version). Peel both plantains, then slice into pieces, each piece about 2" long.

Fry them using the same method as above until soft, and let them drain on paper towels. Next, take each piece and smash it in a tostonera - a tostones press available at most online Cuban stores. If you don't have a tostonera, you can simply place paper towels over a slice, and smash it into a flat round with a can of food.

When your cooking oil is hot again, add all of your flat plantain pieces and fry them on each side until golden brown. Allow them to drain on paper towels, sprinkle them with mojo sauce (if you like) to taste, or put the mojo on the side to use as a dipping sauce. I suggest you get your Mo-Jo on.