Sides » Garlicky Mashed Plantains
Ingredients
For the Mojo Criollo (Garlic Sauce)*
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped & crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup naranja agria* (bitter orange juice)
For the Plantains
- 3 large semi-ripe plantains (yellow skins), cut into chunks (peels on)
- 1 qt water
- 6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup Mojo Criollo (Garlic Sauce)* + extra for serving
Equipment
- potato masher
How-to
Make Mojo Criollo (Garlic Sauce) - Makes about 2 cups
- Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Then press down with a knife to crush the garlic
- Add salt and pepper and mash everything together using the flat side of a knife blade or a mortar and pestle. Set aside
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until it is fragrant
- Add the garlic mixture and cook just until the garlic is tender; be careful not to burn it
- Add the orange juice, stir and bring to a boil. Once mixture reaches a boil, turn off the heat and you are done
Make Mashed Plantains
- In a large, deep pot combine the plantains, water, garlic and spices and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow to boil 10 minutes
- Reduce heat to low and continue to cook slowly for another 30 minutes or until plantains are soft
- Remove from heat, drain the water
- Peel the plantains and discard the peels
- With a potato masher, coarsely mash the plantains and garlic cloves
- Mix in 1 cup of the mojo criollo sauce
- Reserve the remaining mojo criollo for serving either atop individual plates or in a sauce boat alongside
John Verlinden
Missouri native John Verlinden began cooking at a young age, making noontime meals for his dad with the help of his mom's instructions. This lit a fire in John and he was off and running in a creative culinary direction. A love of Cuban food came by way of meals shared with the mother of John's partner. She generously shared her recipes and a few cooking secrets with John.
John's goal with Latin food has been to offer it in a lighter and healthier style yet preserving the same great flavors. Mucho Gusto, John's personal chef, party and meal planner business, offers the very best in Nuevo Cuban cuisine "with the unique flavors, vibrant soul and magic of Old World Cuba." His cookbook, To Cook is To Love is in pre-publication phase as of June 2010, but you can reserve signed copies now by visiting the Mucho Gusto website.
Versions of this dish are seen throughout cuisines where plantains, yuca and breadfruit are abundant. John Verlinden of Mucho Gusto whips up "fufu," the Cuban version of boiled, mashed plantains with a garlicky condiment called Mojo Criollo. This simple yet substantial side dish is great served with meat and fish. Similar dishes are prominent in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and other Spanish New World colonies and are called or "mofongo" or "mangú."
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