Tostones, Sydney-style…

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurised Stilton, raw oysters or working for organised crime ‘associates’, food, for me, has always been an adventure. (Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly)

I know, I know – my last post was for plantain crackers, and here I am giving you another ‘snack’-type recipe. And worse, its Easter Sunday as I write this – hardly the time to be posting about a South American plantain speciality. But, I am. Such a renegade, me!

It’s been a funny old week here at Casa TSL. The house sold at auction last weekend. Which, is great news for us. But, then I caught the flu-bug that LM had, and I went down. Hard. Of course, I’d been a teeny bit unsympathetic to his ‘Man Flu’. At least until I got it, too. And, he was far more gracious than I. He cooked me stewed apple with cinnamon – which was all I could face eating for a couple of days. It’s really taken me until today – Easter Sunday – to get back on my feet.

And, then – since chocolate is out on the Autoimmune Protocol (don’t even mention the hot cross buns!), and because we’re not really very church-y, it really hasn’t felt very much like Easter here.

But – the weather has been glorious for the past couple of days. Just perfect for sitting outside in the sun of an afternoon. And, I had these lovely plantains.

So, today was declared ‘Tostone Day’

Tostones, for the uninitiated, are a South American treat. We think they taste most similar to the potato scallops you used to get with your fish and chips wrapped in newspaper from the corner fish ‘n’ chip shop back in the day.

Also called ‘patacones‘ in some locations, they are fried, crushed, and then fried again. Apparently, they are popular in many Central and South American countries.

I reckon the absolute best thing about these bad boys is that they are absolutely, 100% AIP compliant! Woop!

For this recipe, I chose to give my home-made lard a rest. Instead I cooked them in coconut oil – full of healthy medium chain triglycerides.

[recipe title=”Tostones with Smashed Avocado” time=”15 minutes” difficulty=”easy-peasey”]

Ingredients

2 green plantains
5 Tablespoons coconut oil (approximately)
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic (crushed)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 Tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and Pepper (omit pepper for AIP elimination)

Method

1. Peel the skin from the plantains. The best way to do this is to cut two slits down the length of the plantains and remove the flesh from the skin.

2. Cut the plantains into angled slices – about 1 1/2 cm.

3. Melt your coconut oil in a heavy based frypan. Pop the plantain pieces into the pan and fry until lightly golden on both sides, about 3 minutes a side.

4. While your plantains are cooking, remove the flesh of your avocado into a small bowl. Throw in the crushed garlic, lime juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Take the plantains out of the pan, and drain them on a paper towel.

6. With the base of a mug or cup, crush each plantain chip  – so they are about 1/2 cm thick. It’s not an exact science.

7. Place the crushed plantains back into the oil and let them fry until crisp. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes

8. Take out the crushed plantains, drain them on a paper towel, and salt immediately.

If you are preparing your to stones in advance: Prepare the dish to step 5. Soak the flattened plantain pieces in salted water for a few seconds. This prevents them from oxidising on you before you’re ready to serve them.

E N J O Y ! [/recipe]

I get my plantains from the Fiji Market in Newtown.