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Answers: My husband who is not very adventerous actually reqested plaintains with the food I am cooking tonite. Does anyone have an authentic Latin American or Caribbean recipe for them? I know I need to flatten them...but then what? Also...do you select them like bananas? Do you buy them green? Thanks!!!

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Marinade

6 tablespoons (89 mL) ginger wine
1 tablespoon (15 mL) light soy sauce
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon mild red paprika
Pinch of celery salt


4 boneless chicken breast fillets,
cleaned, fat cut off, and cubed
3 semi-ripe, firm plantains
1 lime, halved
Salt and pepper for seasoning
8 small fresh red chiles (chillies)


Place all the marinade ingredients in a small saucepan and gently warm over a low heat, stirring, until the peanut butter has melted and blended in with the other ingredients. Pour the marinade into a bowl and add the cubed chicken. Stir well so each piece of chicken is well coated with marinade. Allow to stand for about 1 hour.

Peel the plantains, rubbing a little oil onto your hands before starting so that the dark, sticky residue from the plantains' skin does not stain your hands. Rub the lime halves over the peeled plantains so they do not discolor. Trim off the ends and cut each plantain on the diagonal into six thick chunks. Squeeze the remaining lime juice over the plantain pieces, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and toss.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade liquid. Thread alternate pieces of marinated chicken and plantain onto each of 8 wood or metal skewers, and top each skewer with a chile. Brush with the marinade and grill (barbecue) until cooked, about 10 minutes. Take care to keep turning the satays regularly so they are browned and cooked evenly. Serve hot with alfalfa or green shoots and a tomato salsa .

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in warm water for about 1 hour while your chicken is marinating. Wipe the skewers with a paper towel dipped in a little oil before you skewer the meat and vegetables onto them; this helps the cooked food to slide off easily.

How To Select a Plantain
Plantains can be prepared at any stage of ripeness. Make sure to pick a recipe appropriate for the fruit you have on hand.

Green: When the plantain is green it is quite starchy and the flavor is much like a potato. The green fruit can be fried or boiled.

Yellow: When the plantains yellow the sugars begin to develop and impart a slight sweetness to the fruit. At this stage the fruit may show a few freckles of black.

Black: The plantain is at it's sweetest once it turns black. Normally you would want to use black plantains for dessert or any recipe where a sweet taste is desirable. You may purchase yellow plantains and store them in a paper bag until then ripen and turn black.

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Very simple "recipe" for what I've heard refered to as "plaintain cookies":
Slice them up, like a banana, and soak them in water for awhile. Then you fry them in oil, flatten them, and fry them again. It's supposed to be really good (though I personally don't care for them).

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Yes, plantains are green and basically have the appearance of a large banana. This simplest way to prepare them happens to be the way I prefer to eat them. The only two ingredients you need are plantains and a couple cups of canola oil.
In a deep frying pan, heat the oil. Peel and then slice the plantains diagonally. The slices should be approximately 1/2 inch thick. Place the slices in the hot oil and cook for 3 - 4 minutes turning until golden on both sides. Remove the slices and place on paper towel to absorb extra oil.

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