"Midnight Trust" - Baked Patacones (and some sauces)
Delta Force #4, Midnight Trust
EXCERPT:
An enforcer—identified by the pistol at his belt—stuck his head out one of the doors.
“Hola, amigo.” Chad had to shout over the grinding of the machinery as he clapped an arm around the guy’s shoulders, pinning his arms to his sides, and stepped him back inside. Lunch was set out on a small table, four other enforcers around the table. Rifles hung over the backs of chairs…and the men were all relatively clean. He didn’t have a lot of time, so he shot the four at the table with a silenced Glock. The guy he’d kept immobilized with a crushing sidearm embrace, he kneed in the crotch to take him out of action—then tied and gagged him. La Capitana said she wanted one alive.
A woman came out of a small door that must lead to a galley. Her hands were full with a big platter heaped high with patacones, empanadas, and other delicacies. He stepped over, took a patacone—he had a real weakness for fried plantain—dipped it deep in the mojo sauce, and took a big bite, searing the roof of his mouth.
“Damn good,” he told her. “Better than they ever deserved.”
She looked at the four dead men still sprawled in their chairs and the bound one groaning at Chad’s feet. She then offered him a radiant smile.
NOTE: Patacones (or Tostones depending on the region) are typically twice fried in oil. As we don’t typically fry our food, we tinkered around to come up with this baked version. Great with any sauce, salsa, or guacamole.
Active time: 20 minutes / Cook time: 30 minutes / Total time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients: Patacones · 3 light-green plantains (medium-green is too hard, yellow is too sweet) · 1 Tbsp olive oil · Salt and pepper, to taste · Optional, before 2nd bake, sprinkle with: garlic powder, chili powder, paprika… |
Tip: Plantains tend to be sticky. Wet your hands before working with them and brush a little oil on your press as needed. |
Making the Patacones
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet with oil, parchment paper, or a silicone mat.
2. Cut the ends off the plantain. Score the skin 2-3 times lengthwise, without slicing the fruit inside. Peel off the skins.
3. Cut into 1”-long pieces, toss with oil, salt, and pepper, then arrange them well separated on the baking sheet with a flat side down.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Oil the bottom of a flat-bottomed mug or a spatula. Press each plantain flat until about 1/4”-thick. Don’t over-flatten. (If they don’t flatten fairly easily, microwave them on high for a minute at a time.)
6. Bake 15-20 more minutes, flipping halfway through until golden but not dark brown.
7. Serve immediately. Can refrigerate in a closed container. Heat in a dry pan or rebake briefly to recrisp.
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Mojo Sauce (green Caribbean) First Part · 3 whole garlic cloves, chopped · 1/2 c. parsley or cilantro · 2 whole scallions, chopped · 1 Tbsp. olive oil Second Part · 1/4 c. olive oil · 1/4 tsp. salt · Heavy sprinkle of cumin and oregano · 1 lime, juice Making the sauce 1. Pulse the First Part ingredients in a food processor until well chopped. 2. Add the Second Part and pulse 5-6 times, well-blended but not smooth. Guacamole · 2 Avocadoes, ripe · 2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice · 2 Tbsp. minced red onion · 1/2 tsp. salt Making the guacamole 1. Mash avocadoes and juice to combine well. 2. Mix in red onion and salt. 3. Let stand 30 minutes, covered in refrigerator, to build flavors. |
Hogao Sauce (red Colombian) · 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil · 1 small red onion, diced small (use white onion for more heat) · 1 scallion, white and green, diced small · 1-2 tomatoes, diced small (canned okay) · Salt and pepper to taste · 1/2 tsp. Colombian or Latin seasoning mix. (Substitute: sprinkle with garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder) Making the sauce 1. Heat oil in a small pan until shimmering. 2. Sauté onion and scallion until just softened (1-2 minutes). 3. Add tomatoes and spices. Cook 2 more minutes. 4. Simmer for about 10 minutes (adding water as needed) until creamy. 5. Serve warm. |
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| Flattened plantain sections. I used the oiled bottom of a mug bearing my wife’s family clan. Scottish patacones, anyone? Worked great. | Baked plantains with (clockwise from top left): Hogao Sauce, Guacamole, and Mojo Sauce. All made at once, so there is enough sauce for a dozen plantains or more. (They were so good that I couldn’t pick a favorite and ended up eating far too many patacones.) |
