Many moons ago I lived in Florida, let me rephrase that, I was trapped in Southern Florida. But it gets worse...you know that part of the map of Florida where it looks like they ran out of ink, that giant hole is called Lake Okeechobee. It's not so much a lake as it is a glorified swamp with a fancy name.
On that lake is a town called...wait for it...Okeechobee (yeah the naming committee stretched for that one huh?) and that is where I found myself for about a year. Now I'm a proud hillbilly, on a good day I might even resemble a redneck but native Okeechobeeians (totally just made that up) are a whole different breed. It could be the heat and the humidity that stews their brains, the fact that at any given time you might just find a giant alligator in your back yard (no joke! Can't count the times one took a siesta in my back yard) or it could be the fact that instead of watches they scheduled events by thunderstorm, "See ya at the Pizza Hut at stom number 3 o'clock." Now I hated the heat, the humidity was torture, the bugs the size of house cats were terrifying but there was one little treasure that I happened upon that I've been addicted to ever since...plantains!
Plantains are one of those things that can be found in just about any market but most people don't know what to do with them. When they are green/yellow they are starchy like a potato and my favorite way to eat them is twice frying them (tostones) they are a nice change from potato chips next to a sandwich. The sweet ones are the ones I'm utterly obsessed with. It took me a while to figure out how to cook them just right but now that I've got it down its one of my go-to quick midnight snack recipes. It just happens that anything with praline in the name makes my little Texan heart go all a flutter, so it's a win all across the board.
There are two rules when it comes to sweet plantains. First, the peel has to be black. Like really black. A good rule of thumb is to wait till they look like they should be taking a trip to the garbage dump, and then wait two days. They might be a little bit squishy, that's ok. The riper the plantain the sweeter it is.
Second rule, most of the time when you fry something you fry hot and quick...throw that rule away for this recipe. You want to develop the caramelization slowly. This recipe is for my Praline'd Plantains, if you don't want the extra sugar, skip the sugar step and proceed with the recipe, they are fantastic that way too. Now on to the recipe, no hatemail please when you develop an addiction.
Praline'd Plantains
1 very ripe plantain (peel should be entirely black)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oil for frying
In a small skillet, heat half an inch of oil over medium heat. Cut both ends off the plantain and use the tip of your knife to cut through the tough peel but taking care not to cut into the flesh too much (it helps to split it in a few places to make peeling easier) and peel and discard the peel. Cut into one inch bias cut (diagonal, you want the pieces to have more surface area that is flat than round).
In a small bowl or zippy bag combine the brown sugar and salt. Gently pat the sugar mix onto each piece.
Carefully put the pieces into the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the skillet (I usually have to do two batches for one plantain in my small skillet) and turn down the oil until it's a slow but constant bubbling, think hot tub bubbles.
When lightly browned, flip them carefully, the tops will continue to cook. Cooking time is around ten minutes but can vary depending on the oil temp, size and ripeness of the plantains etc. Do NOT drain on paper towels (I use parchment paper) the sticky sugar will stick to the paper towel and then you will be sad. So don't be sad, say no to paper towels when plantains are afoot.
This recipe is more about how it looks than how long it cooks. Done-ness is also dependent on you, I like mine black around the edges because I like the slightly bitter note you get with the sugar that dark, you may like yours more golden, just be sure they are cooked and soft through the middle.
Amazing recipe! thanks for the tips!
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