Fried Plantains

I make these all the time, aren't they delicious? My husband is from Costa Rica so I learned to fry them down there. The blacker the plantain, the sweeter they are.

Really? They don't get mushy? Mine was nnot super black black but had lots of spots. I thought it was quite sweet.

They do get mushy when they are completely black but I actually like them like that. Well, not completely black but almost. I have a complete sweet tooth. It's funny because sometimes I make them perfectly and sometimes they turn out too firm. I find frying the simplest things sometimes quite tricky in terms of getting just the right amount of caramelization, texture and sweetness.

Thanks for the plantain advice. I onky bought one yesterday since I was'nt sure I'd like them, but I loved them so much I need to go get more. I will pick out a darker one this time. My cookbook says that the caribbean plantains are sweeter than the mexican ones. You tell them apart because they go dark in stripes instead of spots. Have you tried them before? I've never even seen them.

I have two in my kitchen right now. They are from Colombia and seem to be darkening in both strips and spots! We can always buy them at the supermarket but I've never checked to see where they are from. I find them easier to peel if I run my knife down the length of them on two sides and then peel back the skin. It can stick a bit sometimes. Oh, and you can buy them when they are completely yellow and just wait for them to ripen to your taste. My husband actually likes green plantain (I don't), they eat it both green and ripe where he's from.

The ones at the grocery store are still mostly green right now, but a few of them are quite ripe. I can't wait to go and get some more now!

I know! It's like eating dessert with your meal. I find them to be a great compliment to a dinner that includes rice and beans.