Fried Plantain & Spinach
The Book of Caribbean Cooking Copyright 2000
1 large plantain
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
4 scallions, roughly chopped
8 oz small spinach leaves I only used about half this
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red chili slices, to garnish I omitted these
Cut ends off plantain. Slit skin lengthwise in several places then peel off the strips of skin. Cut plantain into cubes.
In a skillet, heat butter and oil. Add plantain cubes and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and cooked. Add scallions and cook for 1 more minutes.
Add spinach and cook for 1 minute until just wilted. Sprinkle with nutmeg and seasoning. Garnish with slices of red chili.
Serves 4.
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I am trying to break my habit of picking up ingredients without first having a use for them. Having come of age at a time when unique ingredients were not easily available, anytime I see anything the least bit rare or different I feel I have to grab it. I've come to realize that almost everything is pretty easy to obtain these days. I have a new rule that if I don't have a particular recipe in mind for something, I don't buy it. I try to just make a mental note that the ingredient is available instead of throwing it in my cart these days.
Plantains caught my eye in Walmart the other day. I've seen them before in stores but they looked particularly good. I was going to walk on by but then I noticed a plantain was only 48 cents. So why not break my new rule and bring one home?
This is the first cookbook I looked in and as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was the one. The plantain in the picture in the cookbook was ripe (not overly ripe) and mine was green so I had to wait a few days. When I finally made it I was not disappointed. It was simple but delicious. I could definitely see myself making this again. Sometimes it pays to break the rules!
9 comments:
I haven't tried plantain yet. I think it may be because the few times I've actually had bananas in a heated dish, I didn't really care for them. Did the plaintain taste a lot like banana?
Speaking of exotic ingredients, I once bought some banana leaves for cooking (you wrap food in them, kind of like parchment paper). I had a specific recipe in mind, and in fact, went to a specialty market just to get them...then didn't ever make the dish. :(
I did think it had the tangy flavor of a not-very-ripe banana. It kind of reminded me a cross between butternut squash and a banana. Similar flavor to banana but a firmer texture. I used a plantain that had just turned yellow.
I thing it's very good, ^_^wa
You know I'd never think to put plantains and spinach together - usually I just squish them and fry them but I like this preparation better.
This looks interesting. This is not something I have even done before. So, it will be fun to try it out.
Thanks,
Grandma Kat
XOXOXOXOXO
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We have a new Chinese daughter-in-law who prefers to eat mainly fruit and vegetables for dinner. She has never cooked before, so we invite them to dinner several times a week. This may be a good thing to try one night soon....IF I find plantains in the store.
Oh - and I wrote more about the tuna pizza that you commented about on my blog. :)
Wow. This looks so yummy.. I just love plantains-so I am so excited about trying this recipe. I have the perfect bottle of Pinot Grigio chilling to have with it...
Cheers,
The Drinking Girls
Tiffani & Ashleigh
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