Marcos Plantain Salsa Recipes

MARCO'S FISH WRAPPED IN HOJA SANTA

Steps:

• For the huitlacoche masa dumplings:.
• In a skillet, heat the oil and saute the huitlacoche and leeks, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the epazote. Set aside.
• For the masa bolitas:.
• In a bowl, mix the corn flour, salt and 1 1/2 cups/ 375 ml water. Knead to form your dough.
• Pinch off a golf ball-size piece of dough and press the center to form a cavity. Stuff it with some of the mushroom mixture and add some cheese. Enclose the stuffing with the masa and reshape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to deep-fry.
• For the plantain salsa:.
• In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the canola oil. Add the garlic, leeks and onions, and saute until translucent. Add the plantain bananas and continue sauteing, about 5 minutes. Add the bonito flakes and allspice, and continue sauteing, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the recipient of the food processor and reduce into a coarse puree, keeping some texture to it. Add a little water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the fish:.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap the fish with the hoja santa leaves. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• To deep-fry the masa dumplings, heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Deep-fry the dumplings until nice and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking tray covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the plate, add a spoonful of the plantain salsa on a plate, lay a piece of fish on the salsa and top with 2 or 3 masa dumplings. Garnish with chia seeds if using and toasted macadamia nuts.
• Cook's Note:.
• Chiapas cheese is a sharp cheese that tastes like aged Cheddar. You can substitute it with Cheddar cheese or any other favorite cheese.

GRILLED JERK TOFU AND PLANTAINS WITH MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Tofu
• Wrap tofu in 2 layers of paper towel, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and weigh down with something heavy (large cans or a small cast-iron skillet work well). Let sit 30 minutes. (Alternatively, press tofu in a tofu press 15-30 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, process red onions, scallions, garlic, chiles, thyme, ginger, allspice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, browning sauce (if using), black pepper, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender to a coarse purée. With motor running, stream in oil and process to a fine purée. Transfer jerk sauce to a bowl.
• Unwrap tofu and cut each block crosswise into 6 slices. Pour 1 cup jerk sauce into a baking dish, then add tofu slices and turn to coat. Set remaining jerk sauce aside for brushing and serving. Cover and chill tofu at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Do ahead: Jerk sauce can be made 3 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.
• Salsa
• Pulse lime juice, chile, mango, bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, agave (if using),and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a food processor just until coarsely chopped, 5-10 pulses. Taste salsa and season with more salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl; cover and chill until ready to serve.
• Plantains and assembly
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; lightly oil grate. Arrange tofu on grate, cover, and grill, brushing with reserved jerk sauce as you turn tofu, until lightly browned and grill marks appear, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and brush with additional sauce, if desired.
• Meanwhile, mix brown sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and remaining ¼ cup oil in a small bowl. Brush cut sides of plantains generously with mixture.
• Arrange plantains, cut side down, on grate, cover, and grill, brushing all over with brown sugar mixture as you turn, until deep golden and grill marks appear, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer plantains to plates with tofu.
• Top tofu and plantains with scallions and serve with salsa and lime wedges.

SWEET PLANTAIN SALSA WITH TOSTONES

Steps:

• In a bowl combine beans, corn kernels, pepper, red onion, jalapenos and cilantro. Add lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Cut ends off plantains and peel. Cut plantains on the bias so that resulting slices are about 1/2-inch thick. In a large nonstick sautepan over medium to high heat, heat oil. Saute plantains in batches until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove fried plantains to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Chop cooled plantains into ?-inch dice and add to bean mixture. Serve with Tostones (see recipe below)
• TOSTONES: Cut ends off plantains and peel. Cut plantains so that resulting slices are 1-inch round pieces. In a large nonstick sautepan over medium to high heat, heat about 1/2-inch oil. Fry plantains in batches until golden and softened, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from sautepan and drain. Flatten cooked plantain pieces by pressing with heavy sautepan, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Briefly dip in a bowl of warm salted water and drain. Return flattened plantains to hot oil and fry again, in batches, until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve with Sweet Plantain Salsa (see recipe above Yield: about 3 dozen tostones.)

QUICK PLANTAIN AND MANGO SALSA PLATE

Steps:

• In a bowl, add mango, jalapeno, cilantro, red pepper and red onion. Mix together. Set aside.
• In a large heavy saucepan, add the oil and heat to 365 degrees F. Carefully place plantains into pan. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove plantains, season with salt, and let cool. When ready to serve, add mango salsa to "plantain chip".

EGGS MOTULENOS WITH PLANTAINS IN TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, fry the plantains in butter until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Fry the eggs to desired degree of doneness in butter. In another saute pan, fry the corn tortillas in butter. Set aside.
• Layer tortilla with ham, eggs, and the salsa. Top with sour cream, peas, and fresh cheese. Garnish with the plantain.
• Combine all the ingredients and boil for 20 minutes and then chop in blender and add salt and pepper.

CLASSIC ROASTED SALSA

Steps:

• Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Place tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and garlic in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Broil until vegetables are blistered and slightly softened, rotating sheet and flipping vegetables frequently, 6 to 8 minutes (garlic may need to be removed earlier, if it is browning too quickly).
• Discard garlic skins. In a food processor, pulse garlic and vegetables until coarsely pureed. Add lime juice, season with salt and pepper, and pulse to combine.
• Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in cilantro. Refrigerate up to 3 days, freeze up to 3 months.