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When in Puerto Rico, Eat Plantains

Out of dozens of recipes you can make with plantains, it is in my humble opinion that Mofongo Relleno is the best

Diana Lotti

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Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Growing up in Puerto Rico meant exposure to many, oh so many dishes where the main ingredient was the plantain (plátano in Spanish). You may look at a plantain and think it’s a green banana, and even though they may be closely related, I don’t recommend eating it raw.

It is unpleasant.

But cook it, and you will experience something altogether different and wonder why you haven’t tried it before. Once peeled, you can steam it, boil it, fry it, or make a creamy soup out of it. The cooking options are endless.

I once remember my mother making lasagna for dinner. It was her specialty. I was still a little girl, but I knew at that time that a lasagna involved layered lasagna sheets with ground beef. That evening, there were no lasagna sheets. However, there were fried plantain “sheets” and ground beef. I thought my mother was genius as she proceeds to layer the fried plantain sheets with meat to make it like a lasagna. She topped it with some cheese, in the oven it went, and then to the plate.

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