Homegrown Tostones

 In our backyard here at Dumas is a pretty heavy stand of buro plantains. When we first arrived here the place was overgrown and the jungle, as we call it, was a tangle of poison oak vine, mora Mulberries and   banana trees. Because the winter wasn't cold, most of them survived and after some spring pruning look pretty good. We use the leaves as hojas for tamales veracruzanos and to wrap pork for pibil style Yucatan pork....

We finally got a couple of plants to start fruiting, but the "bunches" really just consist of a few scattered bananas. Today, I noticed that one of the bunches is starting to ripen ever so slightly, going from dark green to a few shades lighter and so I decided to pluck one off and turn it into tostones (fried plantain wafers). We used to own and operate a food truck, before we became nomadic. Modern Alchemy produced foods of the cultures we love and have learned from. We borrowed elements from Mexican, Asian, Indian and Caribbean cultures. One of the sides we always loved to prepare were tostones, a staple in Cuban cuisine. It is a very simple recipe, the only ingredients are platano (plantains) , a deep heavy pan to fry in, oil and a little salt. We like to dip them in a bajan seasoning mix and eat them piping hot. 

Here's how we make them:

• First, peel the firm, slightly green plantains and cut them into 1/4" thick slices. Drop them into hot oil for about thirty seconds to soften them up
• Next, remove them from the oil and take the side of a large knife and gently but firmly smash them flat. Return the flattened slices to the hot oil 9350 deg F)

• Fry until golden brown and sprinkle with salt.

That's all there is to it. If you're not blessed with a tiny banana grove in your backyard, you can find plantains in almost any grocery store. 

Just a warning, the things are highly addictive so make sure you make enough....