PLANTAINS
What are they? They are a type of Banana used extensively in the West Indies as a vegetable.
How to prepare them - I have found them a most versatile fruit or vegetable depending on how they are served.
Some suggestions:
With salads - serve 3 or 4 thin slices with meat and or vegetable salads. (Fruit must be fully mature, that is, about equivalent to an overripe ordinary banana);
Fruit Salad - use in the normal way (Fruit must be fully mature);
Grilled or Barbecued - Cook slices 1 inch thick until tender and serve as a substitute for eggs.
Equally as tasty with fish, chicken, steak or pork. Fruit can be used at any stage of ripening;
Boiled or Baked - Cook in a similar manner to potatoes. Fruit should be green but fully developed;
As a Dessert- Fry lightly in superfry and serve with cream or ice cream. PlantaIns make excellent fritters.
To peel a green banana or plantain remove ends, cut skin lengthwise on each corner and peel each section.
These are normal uses of the plantain. Exotic recipe books offer many variations of uses. Plantains are available only in Douglas Shire.
Plantains keep much better than ordinary bananas and can be kept under normal household refrigeration. The skins may go black but the fruit retains its quality.
HAPPY PLANTAINING!
DATE: May 1982
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