From snow days to Super Bowl parties, think about tackling fun snacks for the super fans in your life. While they are a bit of work to prep, tostones are so worth the effort if you are willing to do a big batch ahead of time. Plus, if you need a snow day activity, prepping these snackable treats can be a family affair.

What kid wouldn’t want to smash a few “bananas,” right?  Well sort of like a banana, green plantains, native to Southeast Asia and now cultivated across the tropics, are more fibrous and arguably more nutritious that their sweet, more common cousin, the banana.  Plantains, not to be confused with an herb of the same name, can be found in most grocery stores, and, when prepared properly, are a delicious and versatile treat.

While frying anything, and in this case twice, depletes the nutritional benefits, super crispy tostones are a great base for piling on toppings or dunking into your favorite sauce or dip. While many refer to them as the “green banana,” they are actually more similar to a starchy potato and are just as irresistible as fries can be when hand cut and double fried. They are just the ticket for something different for Super Bowl Sunday’s festivities!

The recipe below is served with a tasty creamy salsa verde, but spicy aioli, or a sweet yet hot salsa would also be great accoutrements.  You can also serve tostones like a loaded nacho, especially delicious topped with a dollop of refried black beans, pulled pork and cotija cheese.

This semester culinary student chef, Lauren Schuster, contributed this menu item to the Bistro Verde menu which is set to go live on Feb. 8.  If you don’t feel like tackling this recipe at home, join us for in person dining on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-1 in our student-run restaurant, Bistro Verde. Additional details can be found at the Bistro Verde website or on our Facebook page.

Tostones

Recipe modified from HosttheToast.com

Tips for starters

1. Buy super green plantains.
2. Fry in vegetable oil.
3. You will want to prep the first few steps ahead of time as they take some time.  On the bright side, they are quick to fry when you are ready to enjoy them!
4. Don’t skip a step here as there are scientific reasons to follow the directions!  See the details below.

Ingredients

• 12 green plantains
• 1 gallon vegetable oil
• 12 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 4 limes
• 4 cups water
• 2T kosher salt

Prep work

• Step 1: Prep your area by setting up your stations in an assembly line fashion as detailed below.  Teamwork makes it fun!
  • Fryer – Use a heavy pot (tall sides) or other fry station with approximately 2 inches of oil in the bottom.  Preheat ‘fryer’ to 300 degrees, and have a heavy metal, slotted spoon or wire skimmer ready.
  • Drip station – Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet lined with newspaper or paper towels.
  • Smash & Dunk station – You will need a flat surface & a pressing tool such as the bottom of a can, coffee cup, small plate, or glass to smash the plantain. You will also need a bowl with the salted garlic lime water (recipe below) and a towel to pat dry your prepped tostones.
  • Now you are set up to make your batch!
• Step 2: Prepare the dunk station by mincing garlic, squeezing lime, adding salt (stir to dissolve) and adding water to a microwave safe bowl. In 30 second increments, warm the liquid until fragrant.      
• Step 3: Prepare the plantains by slicing the peels lengthwise and remove plantains from peels. Cut into 1 inch slices and fry at a low in batches until golden brown. You will need to cut and then fry quickly as the plantains will brown just like bananas do. Once they are golden, let them drip dry on your wire rack.
• Step 4: While the plantains are still warm but cool enough to handle, smash to about ½ inch thick. Then dunk the plantains for about 15 seconds into the lime and garlic water.
• Step 5: Pat the tostones dry and freeze on baking sheet lined with parchment paper until hard.  Bag and save for future enjoyment.

The big day

Take out the desired amount of tostones and fry them at 375 degrees until the edges. Again let them drip dry on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Creamy salsa verde

• 6 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno, stemmed & ribs and seeds removed
• 1/4th of medium sized onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 large ripe avocado
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2T olive oil
• Salt to taste

Toss the tomatillos, onions, garlic, and chiles in olive oil and roast on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted or about 3-5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 2-3 minutes more. In a blender or food processor, dump roasted veggies and liquid into the blender. Add the cilantro, lime and peeled/seeded avocado and puree. Add salt to taste.

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Baking/Pastry, and Value-Added Local Food, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.