{"id":30511,"date":"2022-08-24T21:26:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T21:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/?p=30511"},"modified":"2022-12-14T21:40:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T21:40:55","slug":"jacquelines-baked-plantains-with-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/es\/jacquelines-baked-plantains-with-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Pl\u00e1tanos al Horno con Queso de Jacqueline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Baked plantains with queso are the Puerto Rican side dish Jacqueline Biscombe makes most when out-of-towners come for dinner. Plantains are as Boricua as it gets, she explains, and she takes pride serving this family recipe to welcome friends to her island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dPlantains are a staple at dinner parties because we\u2019re pretty sure most people are going to like them,\u201d Jacqueline says. \u201dThey\u2019re a perfect side for meats and poultry and vegetarian dishes. They\u2019re also great with omelettes.\u201d In fact, they\u2019re great with just about everything. \u201dAnything you can do with a potato, you can do with a plantain, with different results and taste, so it\u2019s very nice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacqueline is one of my mother\u2019s oldest and closest friends. They\u2019ve known each other all their lives, growing up in the same Puerto Rico neighborhood, Condado<\/a>. They went to the same elementary and high school and she stood in my mother\u2019s wedding. Jacqueline is my unofficial madrina or godmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also a tremenda cook. With thoughtful research and deep respect for the island\u2019s heritage, Jacqueline has planned dozens of official dinners for Puerto Rican academic and cultural events. My mom and their circle of friends admire her kitchen skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when Jacqueline cooks: I pay attention. Why are plantains and Puerto Ricans so extra-connected?, I ask her. Lots of other Caribbean and Latin American places grow this fruit, too. \u201dThe plantain is very tied to our culture,\u201d says Jacqueline. \u201dWe have the phrase here: We Puerto Ricans have la mancha del pl\u00e1tano: the plantain stain\u2014which is hard to remove.\u201d Handling plantains leaves an orangy brown residue on your hands and anything it touches: clothes, the kitchen counter\u2014just like being born on the island leaves a mark on Puerto Ricans that can never be washed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puerto Ricans\u2019 Love Affair with Plantains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jacqueline likes to serve plantains at her dinner parties because they are the taste of Puerto Rico itself. They\u2019re comforting and filling. They\u2019re earthy and authentic. It doesn\u2019t hurt that they\u2019re also so simple to make. \u201cEveryone likes them. They\u2019re so easy to cook, they come together fast. They\u2019re handy to have around, and they go well with everything,\u201d Jacqueline ticks off the muchas razones plantains are a Boricua staple. Plus, plantains are something most Puerto Rican homecooks make sure is stocked. \u201dThey keep for a long time, and you can use them at all the different stages of ripening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dish\u2014baked plantains are somewhat new to me, I\u2019m more of a maduros<\/a> and tostones<\/a> person\u2014is Jacqueline\u2019s favorite way to eat plantains. She got the recipe from her former husband’s mother. \u201dIt\u2019s very easy. You cut off the two tips. You make a slit across the peel, end to end, but not all the way through. After it’s cooked, you fill that open gap with grated cheese. Parmesan or cheddar. It\u2019s very good with Edam cheese too, but since I usually have grated Parmesan, I use that. Add the cheese, and it\u2019s done. The heat of the plantain will do the job of melting the cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Plantains
Slice through the peel and almost all the way through the plantain itself before baking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Of all the viandas, or starchy tropical roots vegetables and tubers, that Puerto Ricans use in their cooking, this is Jacqueline\u2019s favorite. \u201dI like breadfruit a great deal, but it\u2019s not very accessible. The plantain is.\u201d Which is why Jacqueline makes this dish all the time\u2014whether or not she has dinner guests. At least twice a week, \u201dso about 100 times a year,\u201d she smiles. \u201dMaybe a little more.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to Bake Puerto Rican Plantains with Queso?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\"Jacqueline\u2019s\t\t\t\t
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\n\t \n\t \t\n \n <\/svg>\n\t Print<\/span>\n\t <\/a>\n\t <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jacqueline\u2019s Baked Plantains With Cheese<\/h2>\n\n
\n \t\t \t\t\tRecipe by Jacqueline Biscombe<\/span>\n \t\t\n
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  • <\/li>
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  • <\/li><\/ul>5.0<\/small> from<\/small> 1<\/small> vote<\/small><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <\/div>\n\t\t
    \n Cuisine: Puerto Rican<\/mark><\/span> <\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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    <\/span>Servings<\/span>

    2<\/p>servings<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Prep time<\/span>

    5<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Cooking time<\/span>

    45<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n \n\t\t\n\t\t\t

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    Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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      2<\/span> yellow<\/span> plantains<\/span><\/p><\/li>

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      1<\/span> cup<\/span> cheese, grated Parmesan or cheddar<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n \t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t

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      Directions<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
      • Preheat oven to 350.<\/li>
      • Cut off a thin sliver off the top and bottom of each plantain. Slice through the skin lengthwise and halfway into the fruit below lengthwise. Do not cut all the way through and do not remove the peel.<\/li>
      • Place the sliced open plantains on tin foil or on a pan lined with parchment paper.<\/li>
      • Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven<\/li>
      • Remove the pan and sprinkle \u00bd cup of cheese in the opening of each plantain. <\/li>
      • Return the plantains to the hot but tuned-off oven for about 3 minutes, to melt the cheese.<\/li>
      • Remove from the oven. With two spoons, scoop the plantains from their peels. Depending on how big each plantain is, slice in half or keep whole, and serve hot. <\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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        Notes<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
        • When you lift the plantain from the peel, says Jacqueline, use a fork or a couple of spoons. You want the cheese-filled plantain to look pretty on the plate, so \u201ddon\u2019t handle it with your bare hands. Using a spoon won\u2019t harm the surface of the plantain and you can serve it looking nice.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n \n\t\n\t\t\t