PATACÓN CON HOGAO
by: Juliana Urdaneta
“Patacón is a traditional dish that arrived hundreds of years ago to stay in the cuisine of the Colombian Caribbean. The origin of the word patacones seems to either come from the Spanish word for “toast” or from the currency of the same name dating from the time of Great Colombia in the first half of the eighteenth century”
INGREDIENTS:
1 Green plantain
2 Red tomatoes (previously scalded, peeled and finely chopped)
1 medium-sized white onion finely chopped
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil (or oil of your choice)
1 Tablespoon of butter
UTENSILS
1 small pot filled with vegetable oil (or oil of your choice) preheated oil over low heat
A Tostonera (you can replace this by using two pieces of wood wrapped in plastic wrap)
A small pot to prepare our sofrito
PROCEDURE
STEP 1: For the Hogao, in a small pot add a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter. Add the onion and chopped garlic, cook until translucent. Then add the tomatoes. Cook over low heat and until it a achieves a thick saucy consistency.
STEP 2: Start peeling our green plantain by making an incision with a knife along the plantain. Very gently with our two thumbs we are going to start separating the peel from the actual plantain.
STEP 3: Then start cutting it into pieces of approximately one and a half inches.
STEP 4: Place our 1-1/2 inch pieces of plantain into the preheated oil. Let it cook until a slightly golden brown.
STEP 5: Once it has achieved the color we are looking for, drain the pieces of plantain and smash them on your tostonera. Then, deep-fried them again for a few minutes until golden brown.
STEP 6: As soon as you take them out of the oil sprinkle them with salt.
STEP 7: You just made patacones! Don´t be shy on putting some “hogao” (Sofrito criollo) on top. You can also top them with shredded meat, cheese or pretty much anything you could think of goes really well with patacones. Enjoy!
Insider tip: for extra flavor and crunchiness, prepare a separate plate with minced garlic, lemon and salt and dip your patacones in that mix, right before frying them again, this is the Colombian Caribbean style.
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