Cuba LIBRE! VIVA la plantains!

I had a job one winter...(30 years ago!) in Miami.  Anybody living in the northeast can understand why (that white sh!t on the ground this morning is NOT a sandy beach).

Forget politics, Cuban culture is COOL.  Music, art, FOOD.  Last time I had plantains with black beans was...30 years ago! By coincidence, I have wanted them badly since normalized relations were announced, and I got a cookbook with a recipe to make them, HA! ****  Who knew you could make something SO easy and tasty at home??? Just slice this big, tough banana, toss in batter, fry, meanwhile simmering beans in spice, YUM :)



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black beans:  drain and rinse a 15 oz can of black beans, saute some chopped garlic, add beans, spice, 1/2 cup + of water, boil and simmer, mashing some of the beans as they soften--- add water if needed, as it should be something that is not quite as liquid as soup

plantain fritters: batter: (double, triple, etc as needed--plantains are big and one is good for us 2 to split, with beans) mix 1/4 cup chickpea flour with a teas of olive oil and a dash of salt and 1/2 teas of corn or potato starch, then add 1/4 cup water--it is like pancake batter---slice a plantain and toss the pieces in the batter, stir to coat them all, fry them up in a pan until each is golden, a few minutes---

serve:  top plantains with beans, and maybe other stuff too, like sour cream or guacamole or cheese or salsa or like us, simply hot sauce :)