Thursday, February 11, 2010

Fufú de Plátano


Fufú de Plátano is a Cuban dish that isn't as popular as some of the other dishes I've posted.  When I was little, my grandma would make this, and boy was it an event.  Everyone would come over to eat it, since it was only made once in a while.  The recipe varies quite a bit but my grandma made hers with crackling pork rinds. Since I follow kosher laws, I had to find a substitute- which 9 times of of 10 ends up being turkey bacon.

3 large semi-ripe plantains (they should be pale yellow with few brown streaks and somewhat pliable to the to the touch but not soft or mushy)
3 garlic cloves
4 tbsp. butter
1 cup cooked turkey bacon (chopped into little pieces and fried till crispy)
salt to taste

First peel the plantains and cut them into sections.  Boil them until they're fork tender.  While the plantains are boiling, dice the bacon and saute in a non-stick pan until they're nice and crispy- transfer to a plate.  Using a knife, smash the garlic cloves and add to the pan with the butter.  Allow the garlic to saute for a bit to infuse the butter, removing the pieces once they're cooked. Mince the garlic and toss back into the pan.  Once the plantains are cooked, drain well and transfer to the pan with the butter.  Take a potato masher or fork and begin mashing the plantains, adding a little water if the mixture is too dry- but go easy on the water, this dish should be chunky with imperfect pieces.  Once the plantains are mashed, add in the bacon and combine well.   Season with salt as needed.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My mother used to make this, but she also made a version of it with calabaza, which was so yummy. She used to sometimes add onion to it as well, depending on her mood. It was nutritious and a good way to get this very picky eater to get some fiber and calabaza in her system.

Unknown said...

You know, Rox, in Martinique they have a version of this but the consistency is more like creamed potatoes. I also make something similar but I don't add bacon. I mash the plantains with cheese and sauteed herbs. I want to give yours a try though. Looks good!

C Emm said...

Can I make this delicious with-out the bacon or meat? What could I use as a substitute? Have you tried veggie-bacon because it COULD work (?)? Let me know. I think I'd like to make this.

The Yuca Diaries said...

thanks Des... I LOVE me some plantains. The cheese and herb version sounds awesome.

Cristy... I have tried the faux bacon and it's ok. I didn't mind the flavor so I think it might work. Another alternative is dicing up onions and garlic and sauteing in the butter before mashing. I am sure that'd be good too.

Nathan said...

Mmm interesting in my house it's slightly different. We use green plantains and it's actually a very smooth thick paste with pork cracklings almost like a plantain dough like the African "Fufu" you know.

Like when done without the cracklings in Oriente people boil green plantains and mash them to a paste with lard and garlic and make "bolas de fufu" they like it for breakfast.


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