Tostones

As you may have seen in my previous post, there were other things on the plate besides black beans.  One of the sides is called "Tostones".  They're made with green (un-ripe) plantains.  There's another kind of plantain which is sweet and sticky and delicious too- and that's made with the same plantain, just when it's really ripe. Tostones are crunchy, slightly salty and the perfect accompaniment to any meal or alone as an appetizer.  I rarely fry food, but every once in a while, I'll give in and usually it's to make these.

For the Tostones:

2 green plantains (buy them as green as you can find them)
unflavored coconut oil for frying or other neutral tasting oil
salt to taste

First cut the plantain into about 1/2" thick segments and remove the peel around the outside.  Add the oil to a frying pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Once the oil is hot, add the pieces of plantain and fry until the first side is golden.  Flip each piece and allow for it to cook on the other side.  Next remove the pieces of plantain from the oil and set them on a plate or flat surface.  To form the disks you will need something flat to smoosh the pieces down until you have a flat, thin, disc.  Add the discs back into the oil and fry until both sides are golden brown and crunchy.  Remove from the oil, season with salt and serve.   You can serve this with mojo sauce if you're serving as an appetizer.  Enjoy!

For the mojo sauce:
2 limes (juice only)
4 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup light olive oil
pinch of salt

Grate the garlic and add to a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the oil.  Using a whisk, blend vigorously until it's slightly emulsified.  Make sure to stir before spooning over your food.