The Plantain Wars

March 30 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

In my first posting I included a recipe for fried plantains, or tostones. Actually, it was my first recipe on this blog. Other recipes have followed. As noted, in my other avocation, I teach martial arts at the Chinese Kung-Fu Wu-Su Association (www.kingfu-wusu.com). Well, one of my fellows at the association, 2nd Degree Instructor Tyree Grant, and a rising star within the Association, commented to me yesterday on the recipe. He wasn't too enthused about it. Not that it wasn't a good recipe, only that he had expected a recipe on sweet plantains, to which he and his family are partial. And this brought up one of the age-old arguments that has befuddled Caribbean cuisine. Think of other controversies regarding food: like the argument over creamy peanut butter as opposed to chunky style (I prefer the chunky version); or white rice over brown rice which is supposedly more nutritious (I still prefer white rice simply because I was brought up with it); or home fries vs. french fries (I prefer home fries); or even whether red wine should always be served with meat. I have found delicious reds (gamay, bardolino, valpolicella, etc.) that go well with fish. So there.

It all depends on individual preference. No one is right, and no one is wrong. I, myself, prefer green plantains in the tostones mold. In my family, when I was growing up in Spanish Harlem, we only had sweet plantains for breakfast, with eggs, sausages and ham. Green plantains were served for lunch and dinner. In the Caribbean islands, from my experience, that is still the norm. I cannot speak for Central and Latin America, although I know plantains are also prepared in their cuisine.
See, this is the way it goes. A plantain is a tropical perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) which renders an edible, bananalike fruit. But it is not a banana. The plantain (Platano in Spanish) comes out in its raw state as a bright green color. As it ripens it turns yellowish; and when it's really ripe and on the verge of rotting, it becomes a dark, almost black in texture. Aficionados of ripe plantains like it because it's sweet. Fried green plantains don't have a sweet taste. I cannot explain the flavor; simply that it's an acquired taste. But once you had a tostone, with a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil, you'll come back for more. That's guaranteed. On my last trip to Puerto Rico I noticed that some restaurants started serving tostones with french dressing. What's that all about? It's like in France where they serve french fries with mayonnaise. I guess the more adventurous culinary cultures, with time, modify almost any dish.
Let me state that plantains today can be found most anywhere. Most supermarkets do carry them. I have found plantains even in the north country of Vermont. Traditionally, any Hispanic or ethnic market carries them.

Anyway, for all you iconoclasts (I love them $20 words) below is a recipe for sweet ripe plantains (Platanos Amarillos). It's simple, no-nonsense, and tasty (if you like sweet stuff). So, Tyree, my brother-in-training, here's the recipe I promised to you and to all those who savor platanos. And just to show that I can be magnanimous (another $20 word) and hold no grudges, I've included two ways of making ripe plantains. One involves boiling for the more health conscious; and the other is the traditional fried method.

PLANTANOS AMARILLOS (Sweet Ripe Plantains)

Method I:
3 ripe plantains

1. Take 3 ripe plantains and cut in half crosswise at a slant.
2. Boil in water (combined with 1 tablespoon salt) until tender (about 4-5 minutes).
3. Drain and let cool. Cut a slit along the length of the halves and peel. Cut into diagonal slices 1 to 2 inches thick and serve.
Yield: 12 to 15 pieces.

Method II:
3 ripe plantains
Vegetable oil for frying (can use extra virgin olive oil, if desired)

1. Peel 3 ripe plantains. Cut into diagonal slices about 1/2-inch thick and 3 inches long.
2. Deep-fry in hot oil until slightly browned and tender (about 3-4 minutes). Drain on paper towels.
Yield: 12-18 pieces.

Friends, that's it for now. So, until the next time, hang by your thumbs and write if you get work (with credits to Bob and Ray).

The Donna Hanover Interview on Food TV, 1994

March 25 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera


Oswald Rivera on Food TV With Donna Hanover from Bryan R. Adams on Vimeo.

In 1994, right after the publication of my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America, I sat down with Donna Hanover of Food TV to discuss the book. That video is now available for your viewing. In it I try to explain, overall, what constitutes Puerto Rican cuisine here and in the island while also trying to explain the concept of Nuyorican, or a New York born and bred Puerto Rican. Nuyorican is a term used, not too complimentary, in the island of Puerto Rico, to define a native who comes from the mainland, predominantly the east coast. Here in America we have taken the term as a badge of honor and pride. Just because one is Nuyorican doesn't mean one has any less pride in his heritage than one who comes from the island. We partake of a culture and enjoy a cuisine that combines elements of traditional Puerto Rican cooking with infusions of new ideas and new ways of doing things inspired by the urban ewnvironment of the mainland. It means that we grow, within ourselves, our culture, and our cuisine.
Below is a simple recipe from that cookbook: domplines, or dumplings. The dumplings go well with any meal, but they are especially good with ham and eggs.

DOMPLINES

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Combine flower, baking powder and shortening in a glass bowl.
2. Add salt to water and add to flour, a bit at a time, while mixing with a wooden spoon until it forms a doughy consistency.
3. Remove this dough to a lightly floured surface and knead continuously with hands until soft.
4. Form kneaded dough into a horseshoe shape and set aside.
5. Fill a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet halfway with vegetable oil. Heat until oil is very hot. Break off a small piece of dough and shape into a round patty. Drop into skillet and stir-fry until golden (about 5 minutes). Repeat until dough is all gone. Remove and drain on absorbent paper towels.
Yield: about 20 dumplings.

For for the sake of full disclosure, I should add that I have been involved in the martial arts for 35+ years. I am an instructor at the Chinese Kung-Fu Wu-Su Association (www.kungfu-wusu.com). I know, you're thinking, someone who likes to cook and enjoys listening to classical music is also a martial artist? Yup. It's true. We are all the sum of different parts. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because I am on Facebook (no surprise there). And my Facebook page is currently displaying videos showing some of the techniques we practice at the Association. One is a high level technique known as the nail bed. I am not even going to try to explain it. Some may find it esoteric and other worldly. It's not. It's something that any determined healthy individual can do given the proper training and discipline.
The other video is knife fighting. We do teach knife techniques at the Association. In that one I take on our premier knife person, Dr. Norman Lanes, in a one-on-one situation, and try to hold my own (barely). So, for those of you interested in the martial arts or want to see some enjoyable videos (of real action---not cinematic) check out my Facebook page.
Until the next time (with credits to Bob and Ray), hang by your thumbs and write if you get work.

The Pharaoh Feast

March 20 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

My second cookbook, The Pharaoh's Feast (Avalon Books), had a simple premise: how cooking had evolved throughout recorded history. It featured 100 simple recipes, from the biblical mess of pottage (or lentil soup) noted in the first book of Moses, to the fusion cooking style of today. The book was also published in England under the title, Feasting with the Ancestors Sutton Publishing).

The book was a labor of love that combined two of my favorite topics, history and cooking. What I sought to do was recreate some of food history's highlights detailing the cooking styles of their era. What was it like to have a meal in ancient Egypt, or Classical Greece or the Manchu Dynasty in China, or the caliphate in the Arab world? For that matter, what was it that people cooked and ate in the depressing times of the Middle Ages? You would be surprised to learn.

Food and meals have influenced our history in extraordinary ways. For instance, ever wondered what Cleopatra served Mark Antony on that barge on the Nile River that got him so overwhelmed that he immediately threw in his lot with her against his own native Rome? I'm sure there were some snails involved since, at the time, they were considered an aphrodisiac. And what did Jesus Christ and his disciples have on that famous last supper? Which was in reality a Passover Seder that he and his followers, being good devout Jews, were commemorating. And how did pizza get invented? That's a story in itself. But some claim that it originated in Ancient Judea in the first century of the Common Era when the Roman 10th legion was stationed there. Figure that one out. That is tale for another time that I will explore comprehensively in a future posting.

To give you a taste of what I mean, below is recipe hailing from the time of Imperial Rome.

The Romans, as my fellows back on the block would say today, are a trip. They're a contradiction. They ruled an empire stretching from the sands of Arabia to the moors of Scotland. They gave the world a system of laws, and an excellence in art, literature and architecture. But they were also bastards when they felt it was needed. The same society that gave us the works of Tacitus, Cicero and Virgil, also gave us spectacles of mass slaughter in the Coliseum where thousands were killed in gladiatorial contests or innocent victims ravaged by beasts, and all for the enjoyment of the populace (read that: mob). As the scholar-statesman Abba Eban once noted: The Romans believed in peace with a vengeance.

This contradiction is also reflected in their cooking. During the first centuries of the Roman Republic the diet was quite plain. This mainly consisted of wheat, olive, pork and fish; and, of course, wine, which was the main libation. Once Rome became an empire, all this changed. New tastes and new foodstuffs altered the social environment, at least for the upper crust. Some of the food became extremely exotic, and weird. Picture such things as dormice seasoned with honey, peacock's brain boiled in its own feathers, sow's womb stuffed with sea-unchins---you get the idea. Yes, you could say this was an example of profligacy and vice on the part of Roman society. But I'm sure not all Romans ate like this. You certainly wouldn't if you belonged to what was termed, the "lower orders."

The recipe given shows that even Romans could adhere to simplicity in their cooking. This recipe is credited to Apicius, and his work, On Cookery , or De Re Coquinaria. Apicius is a character. Although the recipe is simple, he was not. He was a patrician accustomed to a high standard of living, and is said to have poisoned himself when he discovered he had only a mere ten million sesterces left in the bank. Figure that ten million sesterces is equivalent to just under three-quarters of a ton of gold bullion. Apicius felt that such a paltry sum was not enough for a man of his infinite tastes.

By today's standard's, some his recipes are off the wall. I doubt many would enjoy cooking parrots, jellyfish, porpoises, and lark's tongues But this one is just right. Easy, tasty, and good as a an appetizer.



ARTICHOKES, OIL, AND MINCED EGGS



16 artichoke hearts (canned are okay)

4 eggs, hard boiled and finely chopped

1/3 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

1/3 cup nuoc man fish sauce*



1. Wash the artichoke hearts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the artichoke hearts on a serving platter.

2. Sprinkle chopped eggs atop the artichokes.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and fish sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.


note: nouc man fish sauce can be found in any store selling Thai, Korean, or Chinese products, or any Asian market.


Update: on my last posting, the recipe was for plantains. If you enjoy Caribbean cooking, check it out (I haven't deleted that posting yet).


So, as they use to say on the Bob and Ray show (old timers will know what I'm talking about), "Until next time, hang by your thumbs and write if you get work."

Ooops!

March 13 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

Damn!

This is frustrating! I was just stating facts about my latest books, then I must have pressed a wrong button or something, and the freakin' thing is posted without me having finished my spiel or even spell checking the damn thing.

So I'm just going to continue as if nothing had occurred (I hate these fandangled machines!) Let me elaborate: I still do most of my writing on a 1942 Royal portable typewriter. Thank the gods for things that last.

So here goes.

As noted before, my last cookbook, The Pharaoh's Feast, has also been published in the United Kingdom under the title, Feasting with the Ancestors. The publisher is Sutton Publishing.

The novel I've just completed, The Centurion, is something else entirely. It's a historical novel about ancient Rome and Christianity. Two tumultuous topics. Where Christianity is concerned, the Romans were the bad guys. This story is told from the Roman---the bad guy's point of view---as a perceived alien religion threatens the current social and political order. Look at it this way, a true pagan society would have been shocked and mortified when something like the Gospels made its way into their lives. They would have considered it exotic, foreign, even atheistic since these newcomers did not believe in the pantheon of the gods. This is not a religious work, far from it. It's a rousing tale of wars, assassinations, upheavals and family rivalries. So, any publisher out there interested in something like this, just let me know.

In terms of my two novels, the first one, titled: Fire and Rain, is an account of a prison camp, a brig, during the Vietnam War, where American soldiers accused of various crimes were interned. My second novel, The Proud and the Immortal, is a tale of a homeless community that lived under the old abandoned Amtrak tunnels in New York City. It is a study of a society in microcosm. I make no judgments as to the people living there. I just tell their tale.

Finally, below is a recipe from my first cookbook: Puerto Rican Cuisine in America. I am of Puerto Rican descent. And true to my forebears, I love to eat, drink and socialize. I am a fairly good cook who, as a lad, learned to cook while watching my mother prepared great home meals. Oh, by the way, in terms of full disclosure, I've also dabbled in the martial arts for over 30 years.

The dish is Tostones---fried green plantains. Plantains are a staple in the Caribbean and Latin America. You can find them in almost any greengrocer or super market these days. Some gourmands prefer them with Russian or blue cheese dressing. That's a new innovation. When I was coming up in the world, we just ate them with a little salt sprinkled over.



3 green plantains

4 cups water

2 tablespoons salt

Vegetable oil for frying



1. To remove skins from plantains, cut tips at both ends, cut a slit along the length of the plantain and peel off. To facilitate easier handling, some cooks dip plantains in hot water for 5 minutes and then remove the skin. Once plantains are peeled, cut into diagonal slices about 1-inch thick. reserve peels: typically the unbroken skin of the plantain is used for flattening the tostones.

2. Combine water and salt in a bowl and soak plantain slices for 30 minutes. Drain well.

3. Fill a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet halfway with vegetable oil. Heat oil until over moderate heat until very hot. Deep fry for 5 to 7 minutes.

4. remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

5. Place a plantain slice between two plantain peels, envelope fashion, and pound flat with the palm of the hand. repeat until all slices are pressed. return plantain slices to skillet and cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes longer). Drain on absorbent paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Yield: 12 to 18 tostones



If you're interested in seeing more recipes (or getting information on any of my other books) you are free to peruse my website at http//www.oswaldrivera.com

My webguy says you can also hook in directly into my website from the blog page.

Either way, hope to hear from you soon.

As they use to say in the old Bob and Ray show (old timers will remember this): Until next time, hang by your thumbs, and write if you get work.

Second Post

March 13 2009

Hello there:

This is my second day weaving my way through this new technological maze. The reason I'm in it is simple: a publicist and a literary attorney state that I need to "get out there." You see, I'm a writer. I've written four books, two novels and two cookbooks. I've just finished my third novel, titled: The Centurion. I'm also working on a non-fiction book, tentatively titled, Food and War. Why "Food and War" you ask? See, my last cookbook, The Pharaoh's Feast, was a study of food and cooking from the beginning of time to the present. It featuired recipes from antiquity to the present. In fact, the first recipe noted was "A Mess of Pottage." It comes from the first biblical account of a dish of food affecting human behavior as noted in the first book of Moses, Genesis 24:29-34, where Esau sells his birthright to his younger brother, jacob, for a "mess of pottage"---basically, a lentil stew. And then we go from there cataloguing recipes from there to modern times. I end the book with a scrumptious chocolate cake dish (I'm a chocoholic). The book has also been published in the United Kingdom under the title, feasting with the Ancestors.

First Post

March 13 2009

  

My name is Oswald Rivera , and HERE I AM !

I will be adding more as time goes by , Oswald

Click on the link Below to read the Entire blog

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