Fried Green Plantain Bananas with Cheese - Patacones con Queso

The patacón, tostón or frito is a meal of thick flattened fried green plantain chips that are fried twice.

The first time to get the plantains soften up, then they are flattened into a kind of thick chip and re-fried until they are golden and crispy.

Patacones are a popular dish in several Latin American countries like Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Venezuela.

In Ecuador the patacón usually accompanies dishes of meat and fried fish.

Patacones with coffee and cheese are a typical breakfast.

On the coastal area, the patacones are often served as an accompaniment to different seafood dishes, including ceviche.

These are one of my absolute favorite snacks and what my son usually always asks when we go out to eat.

To make patacones the banana needs to be green, since the fried ripe plantain slices are softer and the taste is sweeter.

For the preparation of fried greed plantain or patacones you need to cut the banana into thick slices, and fry in hot oil for a short period of time (until browned).

Remove the slices from the pan and flatten with a pataconera roller or tostonera.

If you have one.

But usually in Ecuador we just use the bottom part of a soda bottle or a round glass.

After flattening the banana slice re-immerse it in oil to finish frying.

Patacones or Tostones

Ingredients

·        2 green plantains, use 1 banana per person if will serve as input or a banana for every two people if they will serve as a companion. Each banana yields about 5 plantains or fried plantains

·        Oil - canola, peanut or sunflower oil - for frying

·        Salt to taste

Fresh cheese

Optional sauce – mix crushed garlic, ground pepper and chopped cilantro with mayonnaise to form a dip for the patacones

1. Peel the green plantain and cut transversely into pieces of about 5 cm thick. Fry them over medium heat fry in plenty of oil around 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until they are tender and have changed from pale pink to golden.

2. Take the slices out of the oil, let them stand a few minutes without allowing them  to get tough,  and flatten them with a pataconera or a blunt object.

3. Re-fry until the slices are crisp. Sprinkle the patacones with salt and serve them when they are not too hot to eat.

ENJOY!