drink2that: Taste of Tribeca kick-off COCKTAIL party

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Lucky me, I got to attend the Taste of Tribeca Kick–Off Cocktail Party (check out my recap for Miss A) at Macao Trading Co. Steve Olson, the “wine geek”, concocted cocktails fitting for the kick off occasion. This party was to launch a foodie favorite, a culinary festival, featuring highly coveted tastes from some of the super stars of the food and wine industry in New York City (only a food capital of the world). There are over 70 restaurants participating, donating time and food to Taste of Tribeca’s cause—P.S. 150 and P.S. 234, two local public schools. And range of restaurants is wild, from Indian to Italian. It should really be a great time (I can’t wait)!

But about them drinks…

Steve Olson mixed up four drinks that were included in the open bar, each with their own flavor, character and kind of sophistication. Two of the fancy cocktails were named for and after the Tribeca community to honor the 19^th annual Taste of Tribeca; the Tribeca Southside and the 234 Cobbler.

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I tried the 234 Cobbler, which was riddled with berries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, sweetness and alcohol, but almost tasted medicinal. It was chewy and crunchy, and never really smooth because of all the fruit pulp and seeds. The color was a pale purple, almost like a smoothie we made for our Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse.  This cocktail was a take off of  a Sherry Cobbler  which involves sherry, simple syrup and sliced oranges, topped by seasonal berries. Mr. Olson’s creation made the seasonal berries the star and paired them with a sweet Pedro Ximenez sherry.

The other drink with Tribeca flavor, the Tribeca Southside, was a combination of Tanqueray Ten gin with mint and lime-juice. It sounds smooth and refreshing, and perfect for the beginnings of the summer season.

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The estrella azul was an absolutely delicious drink, with a base of pummeled blue berries, topped by liquor and egg white. It had a mild frothiness, from being shaken, but it lingered, creating a meringue like pillow between your lips and the liquid, a sweet break. The cocktail was sweet and round with Kappa Chilean Pisco, a smooth brandy. I thought it was really tasty and subtle, fun but also sophisticated. I can’t help but love drinks with egg whites for some reason.

La Vida Buena was the last drink offered with the open bar attached to the ticket. This also seemed to have a summery twist, involving aperol orange bitters and Del Maguey Vida Single Village Mezcal. The color was a burnt orange, refined and adult.

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Each drink was unique and held their own. The crowd chose their favorites and kept coming back for more. I think that the Tribeca Southside was a popular choice, as most of its liquor and ingredients were the most familiar, and who can resist gin on a warm day. It appeared even the bartenders had preferences for which they liked to make best. Seeing the combination of the drinks and the food provided by Macao, as well as the interaction of the people gathered for the cause was definitely insightful and a hint for what is to come with the day time Taste of Tribeca event. The diversity of the drinks definitely reflected the varied kinds of people, from the foodies, to the parents to even Tribeca neighbors, a blend of differences united to raise funds for a good cause.

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5.3.13

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MangiaMore: CLEANSE

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Oh hey. It was just a lazy afternoon, with a quick bite and some quality basic television. The Oprah spinoff Dr. Oz was on, gabbing at us with his mild lisp about things that are good for us, that contradict almost every episode. But today, today he was talking about his 3-day detox cleanse. Holy moly, did that inspire my boyfriend. We had to dance around the room and switch seats on the couch about a thousand times to get the reception of the channel to be clear, but once we did, we were mildly intrigued.

This cleanse consists of shakes; three shakes, four times a day: breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Dr. Oz assures us that these recipes are cultivated for maximum vitamin absorption, maximum results, with minimum discomfort (“They taste delicious…” “I did the cleanse and never felt hungry,” “Dinner was good, wasn’t it?”). They all include our natural pharmacy; fruits, veggies, fats and all that good stuff, contrived to keep you full and moving, while helping your body to dispel all the toxins it has accumulated.

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Part of this detox and rejuvenation is taking a few supplements, like omega 3, pro-biotics (“to get the good bacteria in your gut”) and a multivitamin. It was also starting the day with a cup of hot green tea, with nearly a whole lemon sliced in it, you know, “to get things moving.” And the most relaxing thing, Dr. Oz assured us, was the detox bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil… too bad I don’t like baths.

Dr. Oz also claims that this detox cleanse was very affordable and somewhat enjoyable at just under $17 a day. And asking people who have tested out and participated in the cleanse to reveal their excellent and perhaps unlikely results felt like a deal maker.

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We consulted.

Deep deep deep down inside, I have always wanted to try a cleanse, you know, minimize bloat, clear the mind and body, shed that nasty water weight…blah blah blah. But the lack of chewing and amount of deprivation have always been intimidating ( I have minimal discipline, put a jar of candy corn in front of me and I will eat it, even with electric shock punishment). Being that I am a major food consumer, lover, indulger and so forth, the thought of spending 3 whole entire days without this joy, was hard to bear. This time, the prospect was not so bleak, because I would not be wandering the woods of starvation alone, but one of my favorite people ever would be holding my hand in the scarcity, lost and hungry with me.

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After a little back and forth, we decided to dive into the detox.

Dr. Oz so kindly created a little cheat sheet with all the info for the shakes and the routine, along with a giant grocery list at the top. Also during that life-changing episode, the doctor proclaims that all the ingredients could be found in local grocery stores. Unfortunately, this was not true of my local grocery store and that of my boyfriend (and I live in the middle of yuppieville and my local A&P did not have almond butter or kale at the moment). So we had to resort to the fancy organic store to purchase some of the goods needed.  The list is pretty easy, from kale to spinach, to celery to various fruits, but there is also ground flaxseed, coconut oil, and almond butter, which are a little less friendly and recognizable.

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Finally, after several trips to many different stores to get everything we needed, we were able to start. My nerves were all over the place, and doubt was creeping all the way up to my eyeballs, and my stomach was hurting from the mere thought of starvation, but I got my act together. I spent the night before our starting day tossing and turning, reading comments about the cleanse over and over, scanning the internet for more information, and creating questions that remained unanswered by Dr. Oz (Can we drink water? Can we work out?  Can we EAT?!).

 And we started on a Tuesday. We wisely secluded ourselves from the outside world, in an effort to save the other people we love from our terrible hungry dispositions, and the evil delicious temptations that the world has to offer. And like the website and further reading suggested, the morning of the beginning of our adventure I weighed myself and wrote down my measurements (for the first time ever), just to see if there would be any change.

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Breakfast

1 banana

1 cup raspberries

¼ cup spinach

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon flaxseed ground

1 cup water

2 teaspoon lemon

Oh man. I know you know the little saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day… well, in this cleanse case, it most definitely was. This was mainly because it was the only meal of the day that was easy for me to drink, get down and keep down. The texture was chunky and weird because of the many raspberry seeds and the less than smooth consistency of the almond butter, but it was sweet and hearty feeling. Banana and the spinach kind of clash in theory, but when pulverized to a mess there was no way of knowing that your pretty fruits were mixed with a leafy green. I felt full and energized after this morning mélange…enough to make it to the gym and not pass out.

Because all the goodies for these drinks were in one location, every night we would prep two breakfast shakes for the next day, so we could “eat” (hahhaa…) breakfast in our respective places.

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Lunch

4 celery stalks

1 cup pineapple

1 cucumber

1 cup kale

½ green apple

½ lime

1 tablespoon coconut oil

½ cup almond milk

Unfortunately, lunch did not have the same “swallowability” that breakfast did. Like many of the complaints and comments I read in my preparation for this deprivation, lunch was my least favorite. I really did not mind the flavor of the drink at all, it was a little fruity, a little tangy, and a little tropical, but it was very green and chewy. I can’t honestly say I am severely fond celery; there is something not natural about its stringy and crunchy texture and the bitterness that comes with it. Perhaps it was the 3 (not 4) stalks we put in our lunch drink that poisoned it for me. The drink was much thicker and slower moving than the breakfast feast, we almost had to chew it. It was long and drawn out and probably would take me at least an hour to drink almost the prescribed amount.

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Dinner

½ cup of mango

1 cup blueberries

1 cup kale

¼ avocado

1 tablespoon flaxseed ground

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon lemon

1 ½ cup coconut water

Well dinner was quite refreshing after the chunky disaster that was lunch. It was much easier for me to inhale from starvation than lunch, but at the end of the day, after drinking what felt like my weight in highly nutritious shakes, drinking anything was difficult. This dinnertime wonder was hot and spicy from the little bit of cayenne, but also sweet and thick caused by tropical mango. The super food kale was hardly perceptible in taste, but morphed the color of the shake to something evil. It did not feel as fulfilling as breakfast, or as filling (in a “I can’t really force myself to eat any more of this” kind of way) as lunch, because by the end of the day, true starvation was setting in, along with the doubts and blurry lapses of discipline. But I would drink this dinner mix again… like the breakfast drink, almost voluntarily.

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All in all, it was an experience… one that I don’t think I need anytime soon (not even the suggested every three to four months). Not gonna lie, it was difficult. It is much harder not to chew or missing chewing than you think.

The visitors on the tv show made it sound like it was easy and extremely rewarding for the body and soul. I, on the other hand, did not encounter that. They mentioned feeling light and refreshed, focused and renewed. I just felt tired and hungry. I was severely uncomfortable most of the time with bellyaches and disrupted routines. There was nothing light feeling with me, other than light headed. I think my boyfriend had a similar reaction to me. We both had a hard time. Cool, we were focused for like 30 minutes after consuming a shake, but after that there was a steep plummet into un-productivity and overwhelming lethargy. It was naptime all day and strenuous headaches frequented from lack of sugar and caffeine, things that I didn’t really think my body was so reliant on. It was deffo not as easy as they made it seem, on the body and the mind.

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Good news is, I temporary lost weight and inch (yes one). I would like to emphasize temporarily. Dr. Oz and his friends kept talking about this weight loss and eliminating, but they never mentioned what would happen once you started eating again. Some of the weight has come back and my belly still hurt for a few days after this rejuvenation.  Yes, it was harder to eat more, and my body was less excited about the greasy, heavy, and sugary things that it once used to be, but that lasted about five minutes (enter Easter candy).

It took very strong will and desire to see it through to really get through it. I was really lucky that I had the full support (though sometimes grumpy) of my boyfriend who suffered through the dissatisfaction with me. This cleanse really ended up being a bonding experience, and different kind of way of exploring food and what it does for our bodies and minds…. But I really did miss solid food, like a lot.

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3.19.13

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photo op: CHRISTMAS party

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Every year my boyfriend's family has a huge Christmas party blow out. The family goes all out preparing, decorating and celebrating. This was my second year going and helping out and it was tons of fun, with a ton of people and a ton of food... Check out some of the spread.

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I had so much fun, munching and socializing. Christmas parties like these make me even more excited about the holiday season and holiday treats!

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12.16.12

FoodFacts: PUMPKINS

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Yup, it is deffo fall. Not only are the spiced pumpkin lattes and pumpkin muffins indicators, but the scattered pumpkin Halloween decorations taking over the streets are also a sign. The grocery stores have been ambushed with these fall gourds of all different sizes and colors. There are pumpkin seeds toasted and untoasted, pumpkin pies and pumpkin flavored seasonal items, creeping throughout the aisles. Yup, it’s fall and the pumpkins have invaded.

Pumpkins, are giant (well sometimes giant) fruits, coming from the species cucurbits, and have their origins in Central America and Mexico.[1] As a member of this cucurbit family, pumpkins are gourds. Some of their plant relatives are cantaloupe, cucumbers, honeydew melons, watermelons and zucchini.[2] 

The name of this large squash fruit, comes from the Greek word “pepon,” meaning large melon. This Greek word was then transformed and nasalized by the French, creating the word “pompon,”[3] after their discovery in the New World in 1584 by the French explorer John Cartier. This name was then translated into the English language as “pompions” and since then has evolved into what we have come to say, “pumpkin.”[4]

This giant fruit/gourd, indigenous to the western hemisphere, has been growing in North America for more than five thousand years now. But the cultivation of this orange fall fruit has spread to six continents.[5]  The only continent that cannot support pumpkin life would be Antarctica, but even the very cold Alaska can grow pumpkins.[6]

Out of all the pumpkin production in the United States, Illinois harvests the most fruit, nearly 12,300 acres.[7] And according to University of Illinois Extension, between 90 and 95% of processed pumpkins in the USA are grown in Illinois. That is HUGE! (speaking of huge, the largest pumpkin ever, noted, was brought to a fair in Massachusetts in September of this year, weighing in at about 2000 pounds –over a ton![8]). Other than Illinois, the top pumpkin producing states are California, Ohio and Pennsylvania.[9]

Pumpkin is one of those warm- season vegetables, so it is a tender and petulant plant. They are really temperamental, because the seeds do not germinate well in cold soil and they are damaged by frost, but if the pumpkins are planted too early, there is no way the large fruit would make it all the way to Halloween (which is its life goal, duh).[10]  The petulant pumpkin seeds should in fact be planted between the last week of May and mid June. According to History.com, the pumpkin plant takes between 90 and 120 days to grow, and should be picked when they are a bright orange color, which in October (which is what the pumpkin growers hope for),[11] and about 80% of all pumpkin supply in the United States is available during this month.

Pumpkins like most every fruit, comes in a large array of varieties; in taste, look, color and size. The fruits can range from intense orange red all the way to yellow, and back again. The different shapes and colors are the tell tale way of discerning the specific variety of pumpkin you are looking at, like the Cinderella pumpkin (the basis of the carriage for a famous Disney princess…guess who), or the Hybrid Autumn Gold, or even the Standard Orange.[12]

These gourds are mostly made up of water, about 90%,[13] which make them a very water loving plant, similar to their relatives (ahem… watermelon). Pumpkins are also pretty nutritious, though, unlike the plantain or apples even, pumpkins are not currently considered a food staple. This might have to do with their very limited growth season. About one cup of cooked pumpkin flesh is about 49 calories (without salt), 2 grams of protein, about 3 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of carbohydrates.[14] This amount of pumpkin has the same number of grams of fiber of a small apple. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of copper, magnesium, protein and zinc.[15]

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What oh what can we do with pumpkins?

Is that a trick question? Because there are like a zillion uses for pumpkins, inside and out…

As another one of those fall staples, pumpkin finds itself in million different recipes and uses that all (well almost all) scream out autumn. Pumpkins feed people as well as some livestock on farms.[16]

The seeds can be scraped and separated from the pulp, and roasted (and salted) for an excellent snack. The seeds once a little roasty in the oven are very meaty, and earthy at the same time. They are very large and make excellent salad toppers, or snacks to crunch on. I can remember in childhood, after slaving away at carving a pumpkin either at school or at home, we would toast the seeds, salt them and eat them while they were still warm. Fond fall memories.

The inner meat of the pumpkin is an ingredient in a large variety of food stuffs. A main and memorable thing would be pumpkin pie. Orange, wet, pulpy meat is the foundation to the filling of this fall time favorite, a star of the Thanksgiving dinner, or a great autumn treat. Along with the inside of the pumpkins are the soothing spices that smell of fall and a sense of cozy tostiness. Though, in the early colonial era, pumpkins were still a main component of pie, only they were used as an ingredient in the crust![17] The origins of pumpkin pie also probably came from the colonial times, when the colonists would slice off the top of the fruit, remove the many seeds, and fill the interior with honey, milk and various spices. This pumpkin vessel would be baked on hot ashes, and consumed as a sweet dish.[18]

The colonists were not the only ones back in the day that revered the massive vine fruit, but the Native Americans had several uses for the pumpkin, both nutritional and medicinal. Though it was the Native Americans that first introduced the multipurpose pumpkin to the pilgrims (I know I keep envisioning one of the first Thanksgivings, Native Americans and colonists alike, swarming around a cornucopia of pumpkins, turkey and corn…active imagination, I know).[19]

Through the Native American farmers’ use of sustainable agriculture, the pumpkin squash was cultivated and used as a food source, as well as other items throughout their culture. They roasted pumpkin strips over fire sources as food, but they also flattened similar pieces, dried them and made them into mats. [20] The Native Americans also used the flesh of the pumpkin in a large variety of ways, from boiled to baked, to dried or roasted. Dried pumpkin would be ground into a kind of flour, which also had many uses. They also used the hollowed out gourd as bowls once dried, and the seeds had medicinal value to the Native Americans.[21]

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 Oh dear, but I digress (kinda).

The popularity of pumpkin pie and what seems like the relative difficulty of acquiring the fleshy meat of the fruit (though I have not tried it in ages, this year might be the year for me), has generated canned pumpkin filling, as well as canned pumpkin.

These two advents are used also in a whole host of things. I remember when I was really young (like second grade) I had a cooking class as an afterschool activity and we made pumpkin pudding. I was so obsessed and proud of how well I made it, that my parents indulged me and let me make it as dessert for a few Thanksgivings running. It was super easy, but also super delicious, and relied on canned pumpkin. Check out this really easy recipe or this mildly more difficult one. Guess which I made…

Another fall time favorite of my family involving a super large can of pumpkin, would be the warm pumpkin soup. Now, I will be honest, I am not a soup lady, mostly because I do not find them too filling and I just do not see the comfort that people generally get out of them. But this pumpkin soup grew on me. How could it not?  Finished off with a swirl of cream, and garnished with a dollop of sour cream and chives. Yum. Now that is fall. This soup is heavy, sweet and savory all at the same time, spicy and substantial enough to almost call a meal. This recipe is the closest I could find to the one my mother uses when she whips up this fall dish.

           

Popular fall flavors often include pumpkin, whether it is that spiced pumpkin latte people are going crazy for (literally... check out refinery29’s article on the matter), or pumpkin doughnuts that are clogging dunkin donuts. Or even the pumpkin muffins, cakes, cheesecakes, pumpkin scones that make an appearances during this time of the year. I must admit, pumpkin is a great fall flavor, and can replace and be an addition to most any baked favorite. Though pumpkins can be sweet, they do have an earthiness to them that creates a savory balance (and maybe less guilt, on my part) to many baked goods.

Pumpkin, in its crazy popularity has recently brought up the question, “Is pumpkin the new bacon?” New York Times Magazine explores this in a piece from earlier this week. Check out the article. This year is apparently the one of the most active for the pumpkin on seasonal menus, in foods, desserts and drinks. The connotations that surround pumpkins, their organic and farm grown characteristics, perhaps have driven their appeal this year. Though what may have pumpkin in the title, might not actually have pumpkin in it, but all the spices and accessories to make pumpkin that delicious familiar taste we are used to.[22]

Not only do we cook with it and eat it…. We carve and decorate with it. The pumpkin has made its way into the popular culture of Halloween, through older traditions brought to America from Europeans. Back in Scotland and Ireland, turnips and other root vegetables served as Jack O’ Lanterns to frighten away evil spirits (check out this website to learn more). Immigrants from England and these countries found that pumpkins were perfect canvases to create the terrifying faces of Jack O’ Lanterns, and abandoned previous food stuffs.[23]

And now there is no escape from the Halloween season, which seems to last from late August (when Ricky’s and Spirit pop ups, pop up) to middle November (when Target, Walgreen’s, CVS and the likes run out of discounted candy and decorations), which inflates the pumpkin to its current fall glory!

Don't forget to check out my sources page for more on pumpkins and spooky Halloween facts (well not really that spooky).

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10.17.12

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[1] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[2] History.com “Pumpkin Facts”

[3] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin History”

[4] History.com “Pumpkin Facts”

[5] History.com “Pumpkin Facts”

[6] www.pumpkin-patch.com “Unusual Pumpkin Facts”

[7] Pumpkinmasters.com “Halloween Facts”

[8] www.pumpkinnook.com

[9] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[10] Illinois University Extension “Growing Pumpkins”

[11] History.com “Pumpkin Facts”

[12] Illinois University Extension “Varieties”

[13] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[14] Allaboutpumpkins.com “Pumpkin Facts and Information”

[15] Wikipedia.org “Pumpkin”

[16] kids-learn.org “Cool Facts About Pumpkins”

[17] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[18] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[19] Allaboutpumpkins.com “Pumpkin History”

[20] Illinois University Extension “Pumpkin Facts”

[21] Allaboutpumpkins.com “Pumpkin History”

[22] Felix Salmon "Pumpkin Is the New Bacon." NYMag.com.

[23] History.com “History of the Jack O’ Lantern ”

FoodFacts: PLANTAINS

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Plantains… Aren’t they just bananas?

They do have multiple personalities, sweet and savory, but I wouldn’t call them crazy!

Sweet bananas or dessert bananas are the kinds that we eat raw generally, they are soft and sweet. However, what are called plantains are produced to be cooked. The distinguishing factor, even though the two are in the same Musa genus, is how they are consumed. [1] As wild as it is, bananas and plantains are herbs! These fruits belong to the same plant family as cardamom, ginger, and turmeric, [2] Zingiberales. [3] Even though banana and plantain plants, unlike other herbs, grow to be as high as some trees, they are not woody and what appears to be the stem is really just the base of very large leaf stalks. This then makes them technically “gigantic herbs.”[4] But another thing to blow your mind about banana and plantain plants; this type of plant is sterile, which means that the flower reproduces without fertilization.[5]

Plantains are wild and bananas… but I still wouldn’t call them crazy.

Plantains have a large and long history, and their consumption occurs all around the world. Like the banana, plantains are believed to have first originated in southeast Asia, and were cultivated in India by around 500 B.C. It is interesting to note that plantains now are really scarce in the region where they originated. The plant was probably devastated by disease and never replanted in southeast Asia.[6]

The vast spread of the plantain is mainly due to trade, travel and exploration. As the plant has great nutritional resources, the plantain was a valuable food source to wherever it went, and was eventually adopted and planted. Travelers spread the “berry” all over via ancient trade routes to Africa[7] as well as around Australia and New Guinea.[8]  Alexander the Great stumbled upon plantains during his campaign to conquer the world while in India, around 327 B.C. and brought them back to Europe because he noted their cultural and nutritional significance.[9] By 1000 A.D., the plantain made its way further eastward towards Japan and Samoa. The plantain arrived in the Caribbean and Latin America much much later in as late as the 1500s.[10] It is said that a Portuguese monk brought the plantain to the Caribbean in 1516, but they were being traded in the Canary Islands previous to that.[11]

Trade and exploration are also what brought them to the “New World,” South and Central America. Along with other goods, plantains were introduced and planted in the Americas, and they flourished. It was quickly realized, as plantain farms multiplied, that this crop was much more reliable and practical than others. Many more plantains can be harvested than potatoes or even wheat on the same amount of land. Plantains became a more economical crop with a higher yield and a longer growing season.[12]

Its widespread availability and long growth season make plantains an incredibly reliable food source. Plantains fruit all year round, which means constant and most time consistent supply. It has become a staple in many tropical areas, like regions of Africa[13]  and south America. Across the world, bananas and plantains are the fourth largest caloric source, with nearly half a billion people relying on them. They are only beaten out by rice, milk and wheat. For these half a billion people, plantains make up the bulk and the foundation of their daily carbohydrate intake.[14] This means that this crop is an extremely important part of a lot of people’s lives, and is an herb people depend on for a large percentage of their daily carb intake. Each plantain has about 225 calories, depending on size, and also make up about 20% of the daily value of carbohydrates.[15]

Throughout the history of the banana and the plantain, medicinal value has also been attributed to the plant. Not only is it a huge food source, the medical aspects of the plantain are also relevant. The discovery of the benefits of plantains for bowel and stomach issues date back thousands of years. The ancient Persians and Arabians used the giant herb to help combat dysentery as well as many other intestine and stomach issues. Alexander the Great, who introduced the plant to Europe, used plantains for headaches, while in China, they were used for rheumatism, infertility and other stomach issues. It has also been revealed through today’s science, that many uses of plantains throughout the ages and the world have a strong scientific base. [16]

Back to the important part, eating this gigantic, humongous herb… Plantains are eaten a zillion different ways in many different places all over the world, but they are rarely consumed raw. The plantain would have to be very very dark brown, near black to be eaten without being cooked. Countries in Africa, the Caribbean, in South America, and even here, boil, stew, fry, sautee, mash… you name it to make plantains more palatable in effort to extract the nutritional value. Each culture that uses the plantain, uses it in a different variety of ways, but in the end, it still is a worldly staple.

Here, I am most exposed to some of the Latin ways of preparing plantains. These are my favorite ways so far, to get out and to even make at home!

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Tostones

These crunchy double fried treats are made when the plantain is a fierce green, like it looks to be not ripe enough to even touch. The green color means that the inside fruit is not going to be sweet, but it has a more startchy and savory taste and feeling, kind of like a potato. Tostones are super easy to make and super easy to demolish. All these little guys need is a little slicing, a little hot vegetable oil, a little frying, a little smashing and a little more frying. And at the end, a little salt. They are crunchy and crispy, feeling startchy like potato chips, but a beautiful golden color. The salt heightens the addictive character of the fried morsels.

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Maduros

Are kind of like the sticky sweet partner to tostones. Maduros are best when the plantains are super super bruised looking, almost brown. You know like, when the bananas on the counter are too soft to even touch brown. Unlike our typical banana variety, the brown, speckled and bruised plantain is not nearly as soft and smushy. They are much softer than their bright green counter parts, making them much much sweeter. These start off the same way as preparing the tostones, cut and fry. Somehow they produce completely different reactions with the oil. The brown and sweet plantains, do not crisp up in the same way as the green variety. The intense sugars browns and becomes caramelized and sticky. However, maduros are not deep fried like tostones.

Plantains are really as diverse as all the places they are grown and consumed. There are a lot of different varieties and strains that have been modified or grown throughout the world. The way they are prepared and eaten is almost as diverse and vast. It is amazing how one little herb, well not so little, can feed so many different kinds of people in so many different kinds of ways, and become such an important cultural as well as nutritional entity.

Don't forget to check out my sources page for more reading on the crazy large herb, the plantain!

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9.27.12

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[1] wikipedia.org “Plantain”

[2] elvalleinformation.wordpress.com “Bananas and Plantains, Origins, History and Differences”

[3] Taxonomy Browser (Zingiberales)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser

[4] Wikipedia.org “Musa”

[5] elvalleinformation.wordpress.com “Bananas and Plantains, Origins, History and Differences”

[6] J.K. Allen “History of Plantains” ehow.com

[7] wikipedia.org “Plantain”

[8] J.K. Allen “History of Plantains” ehow.com

[9] J.K. Allen “History of Plantains” ehow.com

[10] wikipedia.org “Plantain”

[11] J.K. Allen “History of Plantains” ehow.com

[12] J.K. Allen “History of Plantains” ehow.com

[13] wikipedia.org “Plantain”

[14] elvalleinformation.wordpress.com  “Bananas and Plantains, Origins, History and Differences”

[15] Nutritiondata.self.com “Plaintains”

[16] Margaret L. Ahlborn, “Plantain” http://www.herballegacy.com