I live near a lot of grocery stores. When I get out of the tube, to the left on the corner is a Sainsbury local and to the right on the corner is a Tesco metro. Just a short walk away from that is a full sized Waitrose – but before I even get to that there are a few small independent market and a new organic market. And the truth is, I go to all of them. If I need something quick I’ll go near the tube. If I want a proper shop I’ll go to Waitrose. And if I’m feeling curious, then the organic market. It’s a little bit of overkill, but when I can’t find an ingredient at one place, it helps to have so many others.

Recently, I discovered yet another place that’s also close to my flat but off the main street. It’s French themed, they bake their own bread, and the place smells amazing. I went there because after going everywhere else I couldn’t find basil for blueberry basil lemonade. They didn’t have basil, but they did have platanos. Platanos in Spanish – plantains in English. And not just green plantains, which I kind find easily enough, but they had perfect, soft, ripe, black plantains. Or, in spanish – platanos maduros. 

Now getting excited about wrinkly dark plantains might sound weird. If it was a banana, I wouldn’t eat it and I’d be thinking about banana bread. But dark plantains are my favorite. Why? Because it reminds me of my family. These plantains are so soft and sweet, which green plantains are not. And also, this recipe is so flippin easy to cook. Seriously, if you’ve thought about learning to cook Puerto Rican or Latin American foods this is where to start.

I was also really excited by the plantains because even though I have half a dozen grocery stores at my disposal I have a hard time finding Latin American foods here in London. I’ve done some searching and found there are a few specialty shops – but I still haven’t found anyone that sells Goya brands. How is a girl supposed to live without her pinto beans and arroz con gandules?! So anyway, it’s nice when I can find the ingredients and flavors that remind me of home cooking from my parents.

It is easy to double or triple this recipe, just buy as many plantains as you want. I used two plantains and that makes about 3 servings if everyone has 4 slices. This recipe is best right after cooking, but the plantains are just fine reheated in the microwave the next day. Eat as a snack, or serve with a big plate of rice, beans, and arepas.

Messy level: This is the lowest maintenance cooking and cleaning ever. You need two ingredients, a knife, a cutting board, and a pan. One spoon all the way.

Platanos Maduros (Sweet Fried Plantains)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 plantains
• vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Cut both ends off the plantains. Using a knife, score the skin lengthwise on two sides. Then, slowly peel the skin off the plantains. Plantains don't peel like bananas, so these instructions are important and will help you easily get the skin off.
2. Cut the plantain flesh into slices on the diagonal. [I don't know why this is the established method, you could do it lengthwise or in coins, but for some reason it's always done this way.]
3. In a large pan, heat about ¼ inch of oil on medium-high heat. Heat until the oil is very hot. Test this by flicking a little water into the oil. If it pops and sizzles then your oil is ready.
4. In batches, add the plantains to the oil. (I did about 6 slices at a time) It's important to do this in batches so you don't make the oil temperature drop too much.
5. Fry the plantains for about 2-4 minutes on each side. They are done when they are a little bit browned and look kind of caramelized.
6. Remove plantains from the pan and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. This is done to drain off any excess oil.
7. Serve and eat!

3.2.2925

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But the other reason I haven’t cooked much is that I love cooking for other people and I haven’t had much opportunity to do that. That is until a few weeks ago when I had a girls night at my apartment. It was one last big blow out with my girls before London. The eight of us (not all pictured below) had a potluck and we ate and we drank and we ate some more. In addition to piñon, we had salad, pizza, cheesecake, chips and dip, and raisin bread. Aren’t pot lucks excellent?! You get to eat all kinds of things!

We also talked and told old stories from college and new recent stories. We laughed and laughed and laughed. And finally we dragged ourselves away from the table, we put on some heels and we went out dancing. At the end of the night we came home, ate more food, had a sleepover, and then the next day I made them watch Orange is the New Black. Best night ever. I felt loved, I danced my heart out, and my feet hurt in the morning. It was an absolute blast. Some photos are below. Some are nice and some are weird… so it goes.

But back to cooking. Having everyone over was also the perfect reason to make something off of my recipe bucket-list. I love sweet plantains and I have been wanting to make this recipe forever, I just needed a captive audience. This is lasagna-like only because meat is layered between things and then baked. Otherwise, the ingredients aren’t that similar.

I was making it as the girls arrived and when I opened the door a few people immediately said, “something smells good!” That is always a good sign. I think sweet plantains and meat may sound like a weird combination, but it totally works.  Everyone said they liked it, and it has an excellent array of flavors. Try it out.

I adapted this recipe from Wilo Benet’s Puerto Rico True Flavors. I used ground turkey instead of beef to accommodate dietary restrictions. I also cooked the plantains in a skillet instead of in the oven. And finally, I seasoned the meat how I felt like it and didn’t use the cookbook recipe at all. Anyway, have some people over and try it out.

Ingredients: 

4-5 ripe plantains

3 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into small pieces

1 lb ground beef or turkey

olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup sofrito

2 tbsp cilantro

3 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°

2. Peel the plantains and cut lengthwise into about 4 pieces. To peel the plantains, cut off the ends then score lengthwise. Slowly peel the skin from the fruit. Use your knife to scrape what won’t peel off. Plantains don’t peel like bananas.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the plantain slices. Fry until they brown a little bit,then flip. Place them on a paper towel to drain the oil. You will have to do this step in batches.

4. Steam the green beans. I did this by putting a little water in a pot, putting a steamer in the pot, adding the green beans, then cooking on high while covered for about 5-7 minutes.

5. In another skillet, heat some oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, saute the onions and garlic until they are soft and browned (5ish minutes)

6. Add the red pepper and sofrito. Cook for about 7 minutes.

7. Add the ground meat. Break it up using your spoon. Cook until entirely cooked through. When it’s done cooking place on paper towels to drain excess grease.

8. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and steamed green beans. Mix!

9. Oil the bottoms and sides of a 8″x8″ casserole dish.

10. Arrange a layer of plantains on the bottom of the dish.

11. Top the plantains evenly with the meat. Press down with your hands or with a spoon to make it all fit tightly.

12. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Pour (or spoon/brush) half of the egg over the meat. This egg will help bind your end product.

13. Top the meat with the remaining plantains.

14. Pour the remaining egg over the plantains.

15. Place in the oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes.

16. Slice and serve!

Messy level:  This is a four spoon recipe. You need three burners to cook the meat, green beans, and plantains. You also need a dish for the oven. And you have to drain two things to get the grease out. That makes for a lot of dishes!! Also peeling and cutting the plantains is messy work – I had that goop all over the kitchen!

The post Piñon (Puerto Rican Lasagna) appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

The reason it’s perfect is because of the balance of tart and sweet. I think it mirrors the opposite ways people feel about this holiday. Some people are very anti-Valentine’s Day and some people love all the decorations, chocolates, and flowers. I’m lucky that Ryan is so accommodating because I both dislike and want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, all at the same time. Yes, I think going out to a fancy dinner is an important thing for couples to do, but why do I have to go out when it’s going to be crowded with an over priced prix fixe menu? So he took me out last week to a place I really really wanted to go, even though it was in Bethesda. And he buys me flowers because even though I don’t want fancy plans, I want pretty red roses that make me feel girly. So, I want it both ways and that’s why citrus squares are perfect.

This dessert isn’t heart shaped, but it is a little pink. It’s sweet, but it’s not chocolate. And it’s tart enough to fly in the face of a traditional Valentine’s Day. Use two forks to make it a romantic treat.

This recipe is adapted from Sweetly Serendipity. You want 1 cup total of citrus juice. You might not get exactly 1/2 cup from 3 blood oranges, or 1/4 cup from one lime, but use a combination of lemons, limes, and oranges and you’ll get enough a juice.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

6 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar (you can add up to 1 cup more if you like it really sweet)
3-4 blood oranges (zest from 3 oranges, and squeeze 1/2 cup of juice)
1 lemon (zest and 1/4 cup of juice)
1-2 lime (zest from 1 lime and 1/4 cup of juice)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Start with the crust. Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. I like to do it for about 2 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then slowly add the flour mixture to the butter. Combine until just mixed.

4. Flour your hands and gather the dough into a rough ball. Place in the center of a 9×13″ baking pan. Use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of the hand. Keep flouring your hands as the dough begins to stick to you.

5. Put in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Use these 20 minutes to zest and juice your oranges, lemon, and limes. You’ll end up with tri-color zest and some gorgeous dark pink juice.

6. Bake the crust for 15-20 minuets, until it is very lightly browned. Take out and let cool for 5 minutes before adding the filling.

7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, and flour. Whisk until it is fully combined.

8. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. My oven runs hot so the filling was set in 25 minutes.

9. Let cool to room temperature and then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Messy level: The messiest part of this recipe is preparing the zest and the juice. I had zest, juice, and seeds everywhere. Part of the reason was that I didn’t give myself enough space to work and I knocked something over, which then hit my little juice, which then spilled everywhere. But it’s also dirty because my hands were covered in sticky juice and the fruit oils. My hands also turned orange from working with so much citrus. The good part though, was the whole apartment ended up smelling like fruit.

The post Citrus Squares appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I got this recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I’m a big fan of hers, but when I saw this recipe I was skeptical. But I had to know what it would taste like. And it’s amazingly good. Salt, sweet, crunchy, buttery – WHAT COULD BE BETTER?! I shouldn’t have been skeptical, Smitten Kitchen came through and this recipe is lovely. I’ve brought it to two workplaces and the cookies always get devoured. It’s a yummy surprise cookie and you should make it and wow people in your life.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Get a large saucepan with a lid. If it’s a see-through lid that’s going to be helpful. Pour the oil in the saucepan and add the popcorn kernels. Make sure the kernels are on the bottom of the pan in one layer.

2. Cover the pot, heat it over medium-high heat. When you see/hear the first kernel pop, start to shimmy/shake the pan continuously. Keep the pan moving until all the kernels have popped, which is about 5 minutes. This part is really fun for me because I’ve really only ever made popcorn in the microwave. It’s fun to see the transformation.

3. Transfer the popcorn to a separate bowl. Pour the salt and melted butter over the popcorn and mix it up. Let it cool.

4. Preheat oven to 350°.

5. In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

6. In a separate bowl mix together the flour and baking soda.

7. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. The amount of batter you will have will look small. Don’t worry.

8. Mix in the cooled popcorn so it’s evenly mixed and coated with the batter. This is a little challenging because there isn’t a ton of batter, but it will work out ok, just don’t get too crazy. Now, don’t just pour in the popcorn because you’ll end up with kernels in your cookies. Instead, take handfuls and place them in your mixing bowl.

9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop big tablespoon size cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet.

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are a little brown. Let cool and then enjoy!

Messy Level: This is a two spoon recipe. It’s messy in the way all cookies are messy because flour gets everywhere and you have to handle the dough. But otherwise it’s not going to create an out-of-control mess.

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