Fried Plantains With Spiced Beef Piononos Recipes

PIONONOS

Steps:

• For the picadillo: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste, adobo, sazón and tomato sauce until combined. Season with salt and pepper and cook, continuing to break up the meat until it is browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Finally, add the cilantro and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• For the plantains: Pour 1 inch of oil into a large saute pan or deep large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Using a sharp knife, trim off both ends of a plantain. Slit a thin line down the plantain, cutting just through the skin, and peel back the skin to remove it. Repeat with the remaining plantains. Slice each plantain lengthwise into 5 to 6 strips.
• Fry the plantains 2 or 3 strips at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Line the sides of the muffin cups with the longer plantain strips, then use trimmed pieces to cover the bottoms of the muffin cups.
• Spoon the picadillo into the plantain-lined muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Top each with a spoonful of the beaten eggs to help them hold together.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges before removing the piononos from the muffin cups. Serve hot or warm.

PUERTO RICAN PIONONOS

Steps:

• Begin, by peeling and slicing the sweet plantains. Slice each plantain horizontally into thin strips. One large plantain should yield 4-5 strips.
• In a shallow fry pan with hot oil, fry the plantains for 4 minutes on each side. Color should resemble a golden, caramel color.
• Remove plantains from oil and cool on a plate lined with paper towel sheets.
• Grab a cupcake baking pan and wrap the plantain strips around individual cupcake molds. Tear a small piece of plantain and press into each cupcake mold. This small piece with act as a base.
• Next fill each mold with the cooked beef picadillo. Generously fill each cup to the rim.
• In a small bowl, beat eggs and then pour a small amount of the mixture over each plantain cup. Allow the egg mixture to soak in. This will bind the pionono together as one solid cup.
• Top each pionono will a sprinkle of cheese (optional) and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Serve with a garnish of cilantro and enjoy!

FRIED PLANTAINS WITH SWEET HEAT

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the juice of 1/2 of lime, sweet chili sauce, mustard, horseradish and vinegar. Set aside.
• Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 12-inch heavy pan.
• Cut plantain on diagonal into 1-inch thick pieces, remove peel.
• When oil is hot, add the plantains and fry both sides until golden.
• Drain on paper bag, and sprinkle with salt, and minced garlic. With a flat bottomed, heat proof, glass bowl, smash plantains evenly flat, embedding garlic into them. Return to hot oil and fry until dark golden brown. Remove, drain again on a paper bag, adding more coarse salt, to taste, the red pepper flakes, the cayenne pepper and a squeeze of lime.
• Serve while hot with sweet heat sauce.

FRIED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.
• In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.
• Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

FRIED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Preheat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.
• Peel the plantains and cut them in half. Slice the halves lengthwise into thin pieces.
• Fry the pieces until browned and tender. Drain excess oil on paper towels.

CHEF JOHN'S FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy-duty skillet over high heat. Place 4 to 5 plantain slices in a single layer in the pan and cook until golden brown and tender, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining plantain slices.
• Sprinkle cooked plantains with salt and drizzle with lime.

PIONONOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut ends from plantains and peel fruit. Cut each plantain lengthwise into 4 slices. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté slices in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side (use 2 spatulas to turn slices). With a spatula transfer plantains as sautéed to brown paper to drain. When plantains are cool enough to handle, shape each slice into a ring, with ends overlapping by about 1 inch, and secure ends with a wooden pick. Arrange rings, without touching, in a large baking dish and fill centers with black beans.
• Bake rolls in middle of oven until beans are heated through, about 10 minutes. Mound Monterey Jack on top of beans and bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

CHEESE FILLED PLANTAIN FRITTERS (PIONONOS)

Steps:

• Peel the plantains. Slice each one lengthwise into 4 equal slices.
• In a frying pan, lightly fry the slices on each side until slices are pliable, not brittle.
• Remove the slices and drain on paper towels until cool enough to handle.
• Form each slice into a ring, with ends overlapping about an inch. Secure with toothpicks.
• Stuff each ring with cheddar cheese. Squeeze the cheese together slightly so that it will not fall apart.
• In a bowl, mix together the eggs, salt, flour and water.
• Cover the open ends of the piononos with the flour and egg mix.
• Fry the piononos on each end until it is sealed and golden.