Mofongo

By SAEB

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium sized plantains (they should be green)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspooon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-4 cups water (depending on how dry the plantains are)
• Butter or oil for frying the plantains
• 3-4 cups Vegetable Broth (optional)

Details

Adapted from vegetarian-recipes.suite101.com

Preparation

Step 1

Start by peeling the plantains and slicing them into ½ inch slices.
Soak the plantains with the teaspoon of salt in cold water for 15 minutes. Once removed from the salt water mixture, absorb excess water with a paper towel.
Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan or skillet, or heat oil in a fryer to 350 degrees. Fry the plantains until they turn a golden brown color. Remove the fried plantains from the pan and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. (Optional step) Peel the garlic, but leave the cloves whole. Using the oil left in the pan, roast the garlic until it softens and turns a light brown color. This will make it easier to mash with the plantains.
Using a mortar and pestle, mash the plantains with the garlic. If mortar and pestle are not available, a large glass bowl and a potato masher will do the job. Add in the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. After being mashed, the plantain mixture should have the consistency of very stiff, chunky mashed potatoes (as if the skins were left on). If needed, add ½ cup – 1 cup of water or vegetable broth to keep the mixture together.
At this point, the mofongo is ready to eat, but for a crisper outside texture there is one additional step.
Option 1: Using a ¼ cup measuring scoop, spoon some of the mixture out of the bowl and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a patty and use the oil left in the frying pan to crisp the outside.Option 2: Heat the oven to 250 degrees and lightly grease a small cookie sheet. Using the measuring scoop as a mold for the mofongo, place the scoops of mofongo onto the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the outside is slightly crispy.