Thursday, September 13, 2007

jerk beans & roasted plantains



A Caribbean meal: beans and spinach flavored with homemade jerk seasoning, topped with roasted sweet plantains.

6 comments:

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

Oh wow. My daughter has been after me to find and cook plantains after she had them in Ecuador this spring... I think maybe hers weren't sweet though? More potato like? Anyway, this looks so YUMMY!

bazu said...

Hi Tofu Mom!
There's two kinds of plantains you can get - the green ones, and the yellow ones, which are more sweet. With the green ones, you can make tostones and other savory dishes. I have a tostone tutorial over on my blog if you're interested!

Linda said...

sounds really interesting. can't wait to try it! i've never cooked with plantains. when are they in season?

josh said...

to add to bazu, plantains also ripen differently than bananas. they're really ripe when they're largely black, not yellow. When they're green they're like a starchy root vegetable, when they're solid yellow they can be used like a slightly sweet vegetable (e.g. sweet potato), and when they're turning black they make a super sweet dessert, fried or baked.

Also, I don't think that plantains are generally eaten raw, right?

bazu said...

Linda, do try them, plantains are delicious! I survived on them while traveling in Puerto Rico. As for season, I'm not sure. I'm guessing that like bananas, they are always around, imported from tropical regions.

Josh, you are right. Plantains can get as black as they want, they are still sweet and good to eat. Nope, I don't think I've ever seen them eaten raw.

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

oh god. i could eat plantains every day. we let the peel turn completely black on the counter top and then they are extra sweet. then we fry them in oil. luckily, i grew up in Tampa, Fl were plantains are a staple since we have so many cuban restaurants.