Tostones with Mango Salsa

 

A red-letter day needs something special to mark the occasion. My daughter graduates with her Masters. We proudly watch Zoom- style, champagne in hand and an array of small bites to nibble. Since chewing with your mouth full on Zoom is an absolute no-no in my book, we save the nibbles for later.

All of Shauna's favorites are up for grabs. Literally! Finger foods like mini crab cakes, fava beans on Boursin-slathered crostini and a new take on the platanos she loves. Double fried discs of green plantains called tostones, dusted with salt. Our dear friend Rosa introduced us to these marvelous morsels many moons ago. We are well and truly hooked. This time I go one step further and top these crisp discs with a spicy mango salsa. Shauna loves them! One more for the blog!

TOSTONES WITH MANGO SALSA

Serves 5-6 as appetizers

DF, GF, VN, EF, V 

3 Green Plantains

Oil for frying

1 large ripe Mango

2 tablespoons Cilantro leaves

1 green Chile

1 Shallot

2 tablespoons Lime Juice

Kosher Salt

Feta Cheese

Trim the ends of the plantains. Make shallow slits down the ridges. Peel the skins, using the tip of your knife to coax the skins apart. 

Use the blunt end of your knife to gently scrape the surface of the plantains. This gets rid of the sticky outer layer. 

Slice the plantains into 1/2" pieces. 

Heat about 2 cups of oil in a wok or deep saucepan.

Fry the plantains in batches on a medium high flame till they turn light brown. Turn them frequently so they brown evenly. Do this over 5-6 minutes as the plantains need to cook and soften.

Drain on paper towels. Cool the pieces.

Place one piece on a cutting board or plate. 

Use another plate to smash the plantain gently till it is slightly flattened.  If you have tostonera or a plantain smasher, this part goes faster. 

Heat the oil once again. 

Fry the flattened pieces on a high flame till crisp and golden, just a few minutes.

Put all the plantains in a bowl. Season with kosher salt heavily. Toss well. Keep them aside till you are ready to plate.

Peel the mango and chop the pulp into small dice. 

Mince chiles, cilantro leaves and shallot finely. 

Season with a pinch of kosher salt and the lime juice. 

Mix well and allow flavors to develop.

When you are ready to plate, arrange the tostones on a plate. Top with the mango salsa. 

Sprinkle feta cheese over the top liberally.

Munch away!

  

I can only feel happiness as the family polish off the tostones. Love comes in all forms....radiating from proud beating hearts and replete bellies...

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