fried plantains

I picked up 3 plantains last week. I have never made them before and thought that the kids might like them.  I decided to pair them with a simple meal of pan fried breaded chicken cutlets.  When I purchased them from my local market, they were green, but I let them hang around for about 4 days to ripen up a bit.  I figured they were ready when they became slightly speckled with a darker green blackish color.  They were still firm to the touch.  I sliced the ends of the plantain and scored the peel with a paring knife and peeled away the thick skin.  Note, that the skin of a plantain does not remove as effortlessly as a banana!

First, I sliced them…

Then I fried them in canola oil, about 2 minutes on each side.

After the first fry, season with sea salt while still hot.

Let cool.  Then Lay them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and flatten them with the back of a ramekin.

Re-fry in the same oil, 2 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate with paper towel and season again with sea salt.

Paella

Who does not LOVE Paella!   As a child, my father would take us to a Spanish restaurant in Greenwich Village called Sevilla, it was one of his favorite places to eat while he was attending law school at Brooklyn Law.   As far as I know it’s still there.

This was my first attempt at Paella and I felt it necessary (after reading a shlew of recipes) to purchase a Paella pan.  I picked this one up at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $30.00  and I have to say it worked out very well.  I don’t have a recipe (although I will try to get one together when I make it again) because I sort of combined 3 or 4 different ones that I liked.  It’s a pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming and takes a little organizing and prep work.  I made this one with muscles, clams, scallops, lobster, shrimp, calamari, chicken and chorizzo.  This is a great dish to make for a large crowd!  I will definitely be bringing this one back!

easy as 1, 2, 3

I made these for Valentine’s day for my son’s 2nd grade class.  They were a huge success, and he asked for them again for his birthday instead of the usual cupcake.  It’s a great alternative and a great end to a meal.  Everyone loves these and they are simple and easy to make…and a nice treat for those watching their weight.  These were made with Valhrona Chocolate.  It just so happened that my local grocery store had these beautiful huge chunks of fine chocolate on sale so I grabbed a few blocks.  Just chop the chocolate small and put place in a glass bowl.  You can either melt it over a double boiler or even at a low temp in the microwave for 40 second intervals.  I add a few tablespoons of light corn syrup and you are ready to dip!  The oversized long stemmed strawberries work really well.