Last night I went to the screening of Harlem on a Plate featuring my buddy and Aaron’s, Marcus Samuelson, Alexander Smalls of Cecil, and the granddaughter of the legendary Sylvia, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in 1984. It’s a great documentary and I will give credit where credit is due tomorrow. They were surprised to learn of our extensive Afro-Mexican cuisine. Here is one of my favorite recipes.
Raquel made a beef filling for the plantain appetizer on this occasion but I simply use plain cooked pureed black beans (not fried) and a bit of mole paste. It’s much easier and the flavor of the mole pops in your mouth.
Stuffed Plantains (Platanos Rellenos)
These little filled fritters of mashed plantain are one of the classic Veracruzan appetizers, made with all kinds of fillings from picadillo (the ubiquitous Mexican chopped meat mixture) to grated cheese. My favorite is the following version from Raquel Torres, featuring puréed black beans perfumed with avocado leaf. Be sure to use only plain, fatless boiled beans, and just slightly undercooked. For some reason refried beans cause the filled fritters to burst when they hit the hot oil. Plantains vary a lot in cooking time according to the degree of ripeness, which can be hard to gauge when you buy them. For this recipe you want them fairly ripe, or mottled yellow and black. To tell when they are done, start testing with a knife tip after about 25 minutes of cooking and continue to cook until you feel no resistance. Stubborn ones can take as long as an hour.
Ingredients
- 2 large, ripe plantains (yellow liberally spotted with black) unpeeled
- 1 cup cooked black beans preferably a little underdone, drained
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons powdered dried avocado leaf
- 1 cup mole paste can be a commercial brand
- Vegetable oil for shaping and frying the plantain cakes
Instructions
- Cut the plantains in half crosswise. You may be able to gauge their ripeness from looking at them; riper ones will have almost no visible core, while greener ones will display a central core nearly ¼-inch thick. Place the halved plantains in a medium-sized saucepan and add water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to maintain a low rolling boil and cook until they are soft enough to mash, testing with a knife tip as described above after about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool.
- While the plantains cook, place the beans in a small mixing bowl and mash to a fine pureée with the powdered avocado leaf, using a potato masher or heavy pestle. Set aside.
- Peel the cooked plantains, place in a large mixing bowl, and mash very thoroughly with a (clean) potato masher or pestle. (Alternatively, you can purée them in a food processor, but take care to stop before they become over-processed and gluey, which makes them hard to work with.)
- Rub a light film of oil over your palms and shape the mashed plantains into 20-24 balls about the size of golf balls. Remoistening your hands with oil as necessary, place them one at a time on a lightly oiled plate or work surface and flatten with your fingertips into rounds about 2½-3 inches across. Place about 2 teaspoons of the mashed bean mixture in the center of each round and top with a dollop of mole paste; fold up the sides and press together to make a stubby cigar shape with well-sealed edges. Place the filled “cigars” on a lightly oiled cookie sheet as they are shaped and cover with a moist tea towel. They can be made up to 2 hours in advance of cooking, though I recommend refrigerating if they have to sit longer than 15-20 minutes.
- When you are ready to cook and serve the fritters, place a deep, heavy medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and add oil to a depth of at least 1½-2 inches. Heat to 375ºF. Fry the filled rolls 3 or 4 at a time, turning to cook evenly on all sides, for about 3 minutes or until golden. As they are done, lift out with a skimmer or slotted spatula and let drain briefly on paper towels. Serve hot, either plain, with any preferred hot sauce, or with Mexican crema.
Nutrition
Calories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 293mgPotassium: 300mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 506IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
