Tostones With Fried Cheese & Guacamole
TOSTONES WITH FRIED CHEESE & GUACAMOLE
Recipe & photo by Catherine Baker
Makes 1 to 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 4-5 thick slices of Halloumi cheese, or another good frying cheese
- Neutral oil for frying (like canola or vegetable)
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
- 1 teaspoon Pisqueya Adobo, plus more to taste
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa, plus more to taste
- 1 lime, cut in half
- 1 green plantain
- Pickled red onions
- Cilantro, for garnish
METHOD
1) FRY THE CHEESE
In a small cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to medium-high heat. Add the cheese slices and fry on each side for one minute or until golden brown. Place the cheese slices on a paper-towel-lined plate and turn off heat. Set aside.
2) MAKE THE GUACAMOLE
In a small bowl, scoop out the avocado flesh and mash with a fork. Add the Pisqueya Adobo, salt, Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa, and juice of half a lime. Mix together until smooth (or leave chunky if you like). Taste and add more seasoning as needed. Set aside.
3) FRY THE PLANTAIN
In the same small cast-iron skillet, pour enough neutral oil to deep fry the plantain rounds (about halfway up the side of the skillet) and turn to medium-high heat.
Using a sharp knife, cut vertically down the side of the plantain (do not cut too deeply; you just want to puncture the skin). Then, using a dull knife, peel the skin back away from the flesh. The skin should then easily come off the entire plantain. (If not, keep using the dull knife to push the skin away from the flesh.) Cut the plantain into 1-inch rounds. You should get about 8 to 10 rounds out of one plantain.
Place one plantain round into the oil to see if it’s ready; if it immediately sizzles, the oil is ready and you can add the rest of the plantain rounds. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it’s a light golden color. Remove the plantains from the skillet onto a paper-towel-lined plate or cutting board. Smash each round with a tostonera, or the bottom of a cup or other hard surface.
Fry the smashed rounds in the hot oil for another minute on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove the tostones from the skillet onto a clean paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle each with a little salt.
4) ASSEMBLY
You’ll want to work fast here, because tostones are best eaten hot! Dollap each tostone with a little bit of guacamole, followed by a slice of fried cheese, a pickled onion slice, and then a cilantro leaf and a little more Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa. Repeat this step on each toston until you have topped all of them. Give the whole plate an extra squeeze of lime juice, Enjoy immediately.
¡Buen provecho!
TOSTONES WITH FRIED CHEESE & GUACAMOLE
Recipe & photo by Catherine Baker
Makes 1 to 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 4-5 thick slices of Halloumi cheese, or another good frying cheese
- Neutral oil for frying (like canola or vegetable)
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
- 1 teaspoon Pisqueya Adobo, plus more to taste
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa, plus more to taste
- 1 lime, cut in half
- 1 green plantain
- Pickled red onions
- Cilantro, for garnish
METHOD
1) FRY THE CHEESE
In a small cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to medium-high heat. Add the cheese slices and fry on each side for one minute or until golden brown. Place the cheese slices on a paper-towel-lined plate and turn off heat. Set aside.
2) MAKE THE GUACAMOLE
In a small bowl, scoop out the avocado flesh and mash with a fork. Add the Pisqueya Adobo, salt, Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa, and juice of half a lime. Mix together until smooth (or leave chunky if you like). Taste and add more seasoning as needed. Set aside.
3) FRY THE PLANTAIN
In the same small cast-iron skillet, pour enough neutral oil to deep fry the plantain rounds (about halfway up the side of the skillet) and turn to medium-high heat.
Using a sharp knife, cut vertically down the side of the plantain (do not cut too deeply; you just want to puncture the skin). Then, using a dull knife, peel the skin back away from the flesh. The skin should then easily come off the entire plantain. (If not, keep using the dull knife to push the skin away from the flesh.) Cut the plantain into 1-inch rounds. You should get about 8 to 10 rounds out of one plantain.
Place one plantain round into the oil to see if it’s ready; if it immediately sizzles, the oil is ready and you can add the rest of the plantain rounds. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it’s a light golden color. Remove the plantains from the skillet onto a paper-towel-lined plate or cutting board. Smash each round with a tostonera, or the bottom of a cup or other hard surface.
Fry the smashed rounds in the hot oil for another minute on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove the tostones from the skillet onto a clean paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle each with a little salt.
4) ASSEMBLY
You’ll want to work fast here, because tostones are best eaten hot! Dollap each tostone with a little bit of guacamole, followed by a slice of fried cheese, a pickled onion slice, and then a cilantro leaf and a little more Pisqueya Medium Buzz salsa. Repeat this step on each toston until you have topped all of them. Give the whole plate an extra squeeze of lime juice, Enjoy immediately.
¡Buen provecho!