LATINO CROSTINO RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Written by John Capellan
I want to bring recipes that highlight the American Latino culture and that you would want to make at home for your family and friends .The following is a recipe for what I call a Latino Crostino. It is more a guideline than a recipe. I have taken influences from Italy (tomatoes, Basil), Mexico (Anaheim Chiles), and The Caribbean (Plantain). It will be my way of introducing myself, let’s call it an appetizer.
Ingredient list
Topping
Tomatoes - 3 to 4 preferably vine ripened
Basil - half a bunch
Anaheim Chili - 1 medium sized
Red Onion - half of a small red onion
Cilantro - half a bunch
Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper.
Crostino
Plantain - 1 large green
Thinly sliced garlic and Oil for frying
Instructions
Peel Plantain and cut into 1 inch slices and place in a bowl of cold water with about a teaspoon of salt. Add garlic (with oil) to cold frying pan and allow garlic to infuse the oil, when it begins to slightly color remove from pan. Do Not Allow Garlic To Burn! Oil should come up to about ¼ of the pan and be at 350 degrees. Fry Plantain slices for about a minute (we do not want to cook it completely) and remove from pan. Fry remaining Plantain slices. Utilizing the bottom of a cup press down onto the plantain until it is a round disc. Re fry the plantain disc until a golden color. You have now created what is called a Toston or Patacon. It is a twice fried plantain (smashed!) that is a staple ingredient used in everything from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Topping
Chop tomatoes into small pieces. Chop Basil, Cilantro, Red Onion and Anaheim Chili into a fine dice. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Add a ¼ cup of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons of the Red-Wine Vinegar and Salt & Pepper to taste.
Spoon Mixture on top of Plantain slices and serve 1 to 2 Crostino per person. Serve as an appetizer or with a side salad. Enjoy!
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John Capellan is the owner of www.sugarsaltlime.com a company devoted to bringing “Products for a gourmet lifestyle” to the masses as well as co-owner of www.tisojewelrydesigns.com “Enhancing your inner Beauty” has owned managed and consulted for Retail, Customer Service and the Restaurant Industry. Has a passion for cooking, the business world and entertaining for family and friends.
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