Stuffed Plantains

I'd made some other stuffed foods before, so I thought I could try something similar, but with plantains. However, these remind me more of potato skins for some reason. I wanted to make something sweeter, so I used ripe plantains instead of green plantains. Ripe plantains are yellow and (severely) spotted with black/brown skin. This coloration indicates that the sugars in the plantain have developed, and as a result, ripe plantains are much sweeter than their green counterparts. I found these stuffed plantains a bit sweet, but after I added a bit of vinegar, the sweetness was cut a bit, and it also seemed to brighten the overall flavor profile quite nicely. (I used a white balsamic vinegar, for those of you wondering.) Although I didn't use it as a dip, I think if the plantain were a bit more mashed, this dish might be a fun dessert-like dip as well. The plantains and cheese would help keep every thing stuck together for an unmessy and tasty dip. Give it a try and see what you think!

Stuffed Plantains

by CJ Huang

Sweet plantains, mixed with tomatoes and seasoned with bacon, oregano, and garlic, stuffed into their skins.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			2	plantains, halved
			1	onion, chopped
			4 cloves	garlic, minced
			6 slices	bacon, crumbled	Or bacon bits
			1 tablespoon	oregano
			1	large tomato, diced
		1 cup		cheese, shredded	I used sharp cheddar and pepper jack.
				vinegar

Methods:

1. Bake plantains at 375F for about 20 minutes, flesh side up.
2. Cook onions, garlic, and bacon (or bacon bits) until fragrant and bacon crispy.
3. Add oregano, tomato, and cheese while continuing to heat and stir.
4. Mix in chopped plantain and fill plantain skins with mixture.