I had never heard of a plantain until I moved to the Upper West Side, and I wasn’t brave enough to taste one until my husband took me to Flor de Mayo on Amsterdam Avenue shortly after we met. I was not yet diagnosed with food allergies, and eager to please my new boyfriend, I acquiesced to trying this fried plantain thing that he suggested as a side with roasted chicken and black beans with rice. He was right. Fried plantains are delicious! The yellow plantains, that is. I’m not a huge fan of the green ones because they aren’t as sweet. There are, however, two problems with fried plantains. Well, really three problems if you count the fact that once I start eating them, I cannot stop. The first problem is that, for people with food allergies, the fryer at a restaurant is an allergic reaction waiting to happen. Foods are not segregated before going in: The plantains go in after the breaded chicken fingers and so on. This is a problem for me since I can’t have wheat. The second problem is that fried food isn’t particularly healthy. Even though my palate wants it every night, my hips vehemently disagree. So does my heart. Consequently, when a friend with Latino roots told me his mother’s recipe for baked plantains, well, I was all over it. Thanks to my friend Rick, plantains are not only the least labor-intensive side dish, but they are also one of the most delicious, and they’re pretty healthy, too.
SERVES 4
4 ripe sweet plantains (with black spots but not 100 percent black), about 12 ounces each
1 tablespoon soy- and dairy-free margarine (see Where to Shop, p. 182)
Pinch of salt (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a sharp knife, slice the ends off of each plantain and then vertically score one side of each from tip to tip. Do not open the plantain; just slit it to allow steam to escape.
2. Wrap each plantain tightly in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the plantains for 40 minutes. Carefully unwrap the plantains, remove the peel, slice them, and place them in a serving dish. Toss with margarine and salt, if using. Serve immediately.