Tostones

Tostones are unripened plantains that are twice fried. They are amazing! I used to work in a Caribbean restaurant for about 3 years. It was called Macondo’s and was named after the fictional town in A Hundred Years of Solitude, which is one of my favorite books. Macondo’s was run by a couple. She was from Puerto Rico, and he was from Albania. Many of the recipes were from her childhood.

I learned a lot in my time at Macondo’s, and there are many times I miss the amazing food. So, I’ve learned to recreate some of these dishes.

To make tostones, you first need unripe plantains. A plantain that is green will work. When plantains ripen, they turn black and are sweeter. Ripe/black plantains will not stand up to the double fry process (there are a number of delicious things you can do with ripe plantains, but we’ll keep those for another day).

Take the peel off the plantain. This is much harder than peeling a banana. It will require a sharp knife. Once you’ve removed the peel, cut the plantain into chunks. Soak the chunks in some salt water.

Next, deep fry the chunks in oil. Make sure there is enough oil to cover the chunks. Remove them when they are browned.

Now, it’s time to smash the chunks. Traditionally, a tostonera is used. This is a hinged piece of wood with a circle cut into it. I was able to locate one during my Macondo’s days at Food Lion, when it had a sizable Latin foods section. If you don’t have a tostonera, you will need to find something large and sturdy enough to smash the plantains with.

Once you have flattened all of the chunks into disks, you will refry the tostones in the hot oil until browned sufficiently. Remove them to paper towels and salt them, as you would French fries.

At Macondo’s, we served them with a mixture of equal parts ketchup and mayo with lots of minced garlic stirred in. It was a very popular side dish or appetizer. I have found a couple local restaurants that make them, but I was spurred into making these by a friend whose grocery delivery contained a large number of plantains. She was asking, what can I do with these? This was my suggestion.