Plantains Done Right

This weekend I was able to make fried plantains with Weston's mom. She showed me the Cuban way to do it - I found the method really simple and fun, so I hope I can try it myself sometime soon.

First, you need really green plantains - take off the skin and cut them in about 1/2 inch thick pieces. Keep them in water until ready to fry (but be sure to dry them off before frying so the oil won't spit in your face).

Heat about a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan until it's hot. Take the pieces of plantains and put them in the oil. Fry until they get a good brown color on either side, then take them out and place onto a brown paper bag.

Using another paper bag on top, flatten the pieces until they are pretty thin.

Place immediately back into the oil and continue frying until they are crisp. Take them out and put on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt before serving and while they are still hot (the salt sticks to the oil).

Mrs. Bruner made these treats as part of a yummy Cuban lunch in honor of Weston's sister, who was celebrating a birthday. The meal included black beans with rice and Cuban pork tenderloin. I NEED those recipes, so I plan on asking her for them ASAP :)

Camarones Enchilados

What you need:

• 1-2 pounds shrimp, cooked or uncooked, peeled and de-veined
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• ½ cup fresh parsley or parsley flakes
• 28 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 jar of pimientos
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ cup cooking sherry
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

What to Do:

Sauté the onion, green pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes in low heat. Then add the shrimp and cook until they are pink and slightly curled.

Serve over rice!

Tips from the Chef:

• Use a big pan because this makes A LOT of food :)

• I have been told that every time you make this, it looks a little different, which I would agree with because instead of measuring everything, it is so much easier to just dump and taste. I eliminated the W. sauce, for instance, and everything turned out just fine.

• This dish is a Cuban one, so thanks to my lovely for introducing me to the flavors!

• Peppers are usually really expensive - luckily this dish asks for green pepper which is usually cheaper than red or yellow. But still, if you see peppers on sale, you can buy them, chop them, and store them in the freezer in a way similar to how you freeze berries: chop the green pepper and layer it on a cookie sheet. Place this in the freezer and let harden. Transfer to a Ziploc and store flat in the freezer.