Nathalie's Platanos Maduros

Okay, I have to admit it, my sister didn't cook these. She did, however, learn from Mom how to make them. In our family, fried plantains are a staple, next to tortillas and beans. Since my step-father is Puerto Rican, my mom learned how to cook many of his native foods, including fried plantains, or tostones, as they call them. In Cuba, they also fry their plaintains, but they use much riper ones, or "maduros," in contrast to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where they use green or underriped plantains. Once you get the hang of the recipe, it will go really fast. My mom used 7 plantains to feed an army of 15, so you can adjust the recipe accordintly.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 plantains (slightly ripe but not overriped), sliced into 1/2" diagnal slices
• 3 cups cold water
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides; approximately 3 1/2 minutes per side.
2. Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down.
3. Dip the plantains in water, then return them to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com