Food serves as the universal bond that unites humanity. At the table, we are all equals, and it's through the lens of food, recipes, and ingredients that the vibrant tapestry of our cultures is revealed. This recipe book embodies that spirit. Beyond...
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Puerto Rican cuisine is rich in flavours and history. This Caribbean Island, the smaller of the Greater Antilles, was first inhabited by Taíno aborigines, whose diet consisted of cassava bread known as casabe, minor fruits and fresh fish and molluscs. With Spanish colonization in 1493 and later on establishment after 1511, the rustic and basic native elements were incorporated into a more sophisticated Spaniard's kitchen, one that we know is greatly influenced by the Arabs. It wasn't until the seventeenth century, when slaves were brought from Africa, that Puertorrican food, confectioned then by the African slave-women that worked in the kitchen, finally formed a self-identity. To add more spice to the seasoning, a massive Corsican migration to the island, this blend of both Italian and French cuisine, was this final ingredient to this Boricua recipe.
When we think about Puerto Rico, we generally remember the beautiful beaches, the amazing sunsets, the piña colada and mofongo, which is often considered the most popular Puerto Rican dish. Mofongo is one of the Puerto Rican delights made with fried mashed green (not ripe) plantains, mashed garlic and small pieces of crunchy chicharrón. It is mashed to get a consistency that is neither too soft nor too hard so that it can form a half-sphere or moulded into the shape of a bowl to stuff it with pork meat, seafood or chicken chicharrón. My favourite mofongo is served with carne frita or shrimp mojo.
Ingredients
4 green plantains 1 lb of chicharrón (crunchy pork skin) 3 garlic cloves, mashed 4 teaspoons of olive oil 2 cups frying oil
Preparation
Peel the plantains cut them into 1 1/2-inch slices, soak them in salty water for 15 minutes, drain them and dry them before putting them in the hot skillet with oil.
Fry them for about 12 minutes at medium-low heat or until they turn light brown. Make sure to turn them. Do not brown them too much, so they are easy to mash. Stick a fork in them to check if they are done.
Remove them and mash them on a mortar. Add some mashed garlic and pieces of chicharrón.
Once you have mashed all the plantains, mould them into the shape of half sphere using your hands or a container. Serve hot with chicken broth or your favourite meat.
