Pork, Plantain, and Mixed Bean Stew

(heavily adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty)

I seem to have once again added pork to a vegetarian dish...but I swear this would've been just as good without it. Hey, I added plantains, too - that's definitively not meat. So there you go.

Both were good additions, actually, depending on what you're going for. In my case, Joef issued the challenge of making something with Plantains, Pork, and Peppers. I found a recipe for "Mixed Beans with Many Spices and Lovage" in Plenty that seemed flexible, and came up with this dish. It's hearty, flavorful, and delicious.

A note on fava beans, another reason I wanted to try this recipe. They're yummy and pretty, and they are a pain to prepare. There's a whole double-shelling, parboiling process (see link below). That being said, it's worth giving it a try.

For four:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless pork cutlets, cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of ground cloves
1 manzano pepper, sliced thin
A few Thai green chiles, chopped
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes and juices
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved at an angle
1 cup green beans, sliced at an angle
Shelled fava beans, as many as you can stand to shell...
2-3 plantains, sliced into thick rounds
2 tbsp chopped lovage, or cilantro, or tarragon
Rice

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan, and brown the pork on all sides. Add the onion, manzano pepper, and Thai chiles. Sauté on medium heat and stir around a from time to time until they start to soften, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Next, add the tomato paste, all the spices, and some salt and pepper, and stir and cook for another minute or so.

Next, add the tomatoes, sugar, and all the peas and beans. Stir to mix, then bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover (or partially cover, depending on how thick you want it) for 15-20 minutes, until the sugar snap peas are cooked through, and still crunchy. About halfway through cooking, add the plantains - you want them to soften and take on flavor, but not turn to mush. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the lovage-or cilantro-or tarragon just before serving. Serve over rice.

Fried Sweet Plantains

(from Tyler Florence's recipe on FoodNetwork.com)

Well, fry me in butter and sugar, and call me hooked on plantains! This recipe is a doozy when it comes to fat content, but mmm, oh-so good. The sauce was just perfect. I mean, I guess you can't really miss with brown sugar and butter. The cinnamon was really nice, too. And they are simple and quick. We had them as a side, but I think they'd make a good dessert or accompaniment to breakfast.

Next time, I'd cook them a little longer than the original recipe called for (I've made that adjustment below). Also, I'd love to try a version cooked in ramekins in the oven - you'd slice up the plantains, mix them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, put maybe 1 tbsp. of butter in each ramekin (1/2 tbsp on top, 1/2 on bottom?), then bake them up for a few minutes and have 'em for breakfast. Whaddya think?

But here's how I did it this time:

3 ripe, black plantains
5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
2 tbsp brown sugar

To peel the plantains: first, cut off ends and discard. Then, with a paring knife, make 3 shallow slits lengthwise along the seams of the skin and peel away. Cut the plantains in half lengthwise.

Heat 4 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Fry the plantains in a single layer, until golden on the bottom, then flip with a spatula. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and let cook a couple more minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the other side of the plantain has started to turn golden.

Just before serving, melt remaining tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. Serve immediately.