Sautéed Kiwi & Manzano Bananas

Yes, when I get on a kick, I get on a kick. My current one is tiny plantains. They’re so cute! And so handily single-portion-sized. (Note: I mean “tiny plantains” as a descriptive term — you’ll find them under guises such as “manzano bananas” and “burro bananas” and any other official label attached to short, squat bananas with hard, ridged skins.) Like full-sized plantains, the tiny versions aren’t sweet until they’re nearly all black on the outside. You can enjoy them non-sweet, too — in that case, think of them more like a potato-y vegetable that you’d treat like a starch — but I prefer them at the very-ripe stage, when they’ve hit their sweet peak and their insides almost melt when you slice and sautée them.

Since I had a kiwi lying in the fruit bowl next to the manzano bananas/tiny plantains, I thought I might as well cook that, too, and make a tropical warm winter fruit sautée. What better way to take a gustatory break from 30F weather? Besides, kiwis are stunningly elegant with their neat rows of black seeds and inner flesh that hovers somewhere between peridot and emerald. (And as a health bonus, kiwi seeds are also a great source of omega-3s.)

Sautéed Kiwi & Manzano Bananas

Manzano OR burro OR any “tiny plantain,” as I call them (see the first paragraph for a description) OR a standard plantain, cut into slices about 1/4″ thick
Kiwis, skins removed, hard inner white core removed, each kiwi cut into about 8 cubes
Coconut oil OR extra-virgin olive oil (the coconut will taste more tropical and will have a slight sweetness that will complement the fruit)

Melt a dab of coconut oil in a medium-small skillet (it should be just large enough to hold the fruit) over medium heat. Add the plantains and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. The oil should coat the bottom of the skillet, so if it doesn’t, add a bit more. (This is why it’s best to use the smallest skillet possible — no point in wasting nice coconut oil.) Lay out a sheet of paper towel on a large plate.

Examine the banana slices to see if the edges are browning. If they are, use heat-proof tongs to flip one over to see if the underside is golden brown. If it is, flip over all of the slices and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until the second side is brown. Slide onto the paper towel and let drain.

Add the kiwis to the same skillet and cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, for 3 minutes or until kiwis are starting to lightly brown. Slip into a bowl and gently toss with the tiny plantain slices. Serve immediately. This would be a great breakfast or dessert as is, or you can top it with plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or coconut ice cream. Try making it again with other tropical fruit in place of the kiwi: mango, papaya, pineapple.

Enjoy!

Homemade Plantain "Chips"

A note to my faithful readers in the blogosphere:  today is a special day.  Not because it’s snowing in April–which, while odd, is not entirely unexpected for Michigan–but because this is my 200th post!  While we can’t share celebratory libations over the Internet, I thought I’d give you a bit of the tropics to re-create in your own kitchen.  (Your imagination will have to fill in the sunny skies and coconut-rum daiquiris…)

We’ve all enjoyed soft yellow bananas  in banana splits, smoothies, banana bread, etc., but unless you’ve been in Latin America or have amigos who like to throw dinner parties, you may not have sampled savory plantains.  (Large red bananas, too, fall in the same category.  The small ones are sweet, just like their yellow cousins.)  These savory versions look like bananas…except that their peels are nearly rock-hard, they require a bit of skill and a knife to peel, and their flesh is almost potato-like in consistency and taste.  In other words, plantains are main dish while bananas are the dessert.

To prepare plantain chips, carefully score two parallel slits somewhat close together in the plantain skin.  (It’s fairly thick and tough, so you may have to press fairly hard to score it.)  Use these helper-slits to pull off the first section of the skin.  Continue peeling until all of the skin and the fibrous underside of it is removed–when you’re done, the plantain should look like a standard banana.  Cut it into even rounds.

Fry the plantain chips in ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil over high heat, occasionally shaking the pan to make sure they don’t burn.  If you’re a whiz at crepe-flipping, go ahead and flip the chips the same way.  If you’re more of a miss-the-pan-and-drop-’em type, use a spoon or tongs to turn over each chip.  As soon as both sides have acquired a golden-brown tinge, remove them from the heat, season with sea salt, and serve piping hot.  These chips make a great accompaniment to a Latin dish (think Cuban rice and pork or corn-and-bean tortillas) or as a stand-alone snack.  You can also mash them and serve them as an alternative to mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!