During my time in Panama after undergrad, I worked in a little town called San Miguel right outside of the Tres Brazos jungle. I had the good fortune to get a front row seat in a Panamanian kitchen. There was a little yellow house (casa llena) in the town where my fellow interns and I stayed occasionally when we weren’t sleeping under the stars in the jungle town. We would all gather around our house mother, Noris, as she started boiling water and chopping up vegetables. The smell of Panamanian spices, the feel of the hot, bubbling oil, and the sound of laughter are all memories I have of those days. Noris would let me taste the yucca (root vegetable) for the soup, and then introduced me to patacones, or fried green plantains. It was love at first bite, and upon returning to the US I was determined to cherish this recipe and my time in Panama.
What I learned the most from my time in this beautiful country is that food can bring people together, and that happiness truly is better when shared! I learned the power of community versus individual, and that love can be shared in many different forms.
Recipe:
- First, you need to acquire 4 large green (unripe) plantains, lots of oil, salt & pepper to taste.
- Then, cut the ends from each plantain, then cut lengthwise. Beginning at the slit, pry off the peels (getting your thumb between the peel & the plantain helps).
- Cut the plantains crosswise into 1-inch thick pieces & place in a bowl of warm salted water. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes (This step adds flavor & also gets rid of some of the starch from the plantains).
- Heat some oil (enough so that it is about 1/2″ deep) in a 10-12″ heavy skillet over MEDIUM heat until the oil is just hot enough to sizzle when a small “tester” piece of plantain is added.
- Remove plantain pieces from the bowl of warm water & blot completely dry with paper towels.
- Place plantain pieces in the oil (do not crowd the skillet with plantains; do 2 batches if needed). Fry plantains, turning occasionally with tongs, until tender & just beginning to turn golden in color, ~5-7 minutes.
- Remove plantain pieces w/ tongs to a flat (non-stick) surface. Spray the bottom of a glass bottle or mug with non-stick cooking spray. Using gentle pressure, use the bottom of the bottle to flatten each plantain piece to ~1/4″ thickness.
- Return flattened plantains to oil (over MEDIUM heat). Fry (turning occasionally with tongs) until plantains are golden brown in color, 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer plantains to a plate w/ a fresh paper towel, but DO NOT BLOT. Sprinkle with salt & serve immediately with any condiments. Share with all your friends!
