Plantains

Colombians will sigh when they read this entry because it's nothing new to them. However, I want to share this lovely recipe, and hope it motivates someone out there to finally buy those plantains they've seen at the grocery store, but never knew what to do with.


Once again, I was inspired at my local vegetable and fruit stand. This time, the plantains called out to me.

Plantains are much like bananas but much larger. They're part of many Colombian meals. We eat them when they're ripe and also when they're green. When they're green, we make patacones, which are by far my favorite side dish ever, so I'll write an entry about them soon. Patacones are green plantains that are diced, pressed flat, deep fried, and sprinkled with salt.

Bananas vs plantains

This is a super easy recipe, and a great side dish to accompany a steak and salad dinner. 


Ripe plantains
Guava Paste
Butter


Bake in 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until the paste has melted and caramelized, and until they look like this:

Ripe plantains with guava paste 

In the US, guava paste can be found in most Latin grocery stores. In case you can't find it, use brown sugar.


Enjoy!