Our Friday lunch

[eleny]

Hubby went to sleep early last night and woke up in the wee hours this morning. He's been doing outdoor work in the yard today. No doubt, he'll be in bed by 6 P.M., so I made supper at lunchtime.

Steamed some swordfish in the microwave
Fried onions in scant bit of olive oil and added rounds of plantain to brown up. This combo was served over the fish
Uncle Ben's vegetable rice nuked in the bag
Steamfresh broccoli nuked in the bag

This was thrown together pretty fast. I'm not used to microwaving so much. But needing a dinner meal at the last minute, this was quick and tasty. I'm not sure about the safety of swordfish. But once a year I break down and get a couple of steaks.

:hi:

[hippywife]

1. Hope you enjoyed your lunch.

Probably better to eat that bigger meal mid-day anyway. This could be a new trend for you guys.

I saw some plantains at the grocery today and for a second considered buying some. I've never had them before.

:hi:

[eleny]

2. Plantains

I was introduced to them decades ago in NY when a co worker was making herself some pork chops for lunch in our community kitchen.

The thing is, you wait until the skins go black and the banana feels somewhat soft in there. Then they're sweet and ready to prepare. I fry some onions, then scoot the onions over and add the sliced plantain rounds to brown on both sides. Maybe a little sprinkle of black pepper for zing.

They go great real well with fresh pork, chicken or fish. To me, it's having something sweet on the plate like applesauce or cranberries.

:hi:

[hippywife]

3. Thanx, eleny.

I think I'll get some when I go again next week and give it a try.

[Beacool]

4. You made "maduros" as opposed to "tostones".

I like them both. I like the maduros (ripened plantains-sweet) and the tostones (green plantains-not sweet). For the fish you can make salsa (not the Mexican version).

Slice red onions thin and put them in a colander. Sprinkle salt and leave them alone for 10 minutes. Rinse in warm water and drain. Place them in a bowl with oil and lime juice. Optional add ons are finely chopped tomatoes and green peppers. You can also add a little cilantro if you like it. It tastes better if it's made ahead of time.

Friends from Ecuador taught me how to make this salsa that they use over fish and I love it, particularly over fried fish. It's also great over boiled yucca, though for yucca I would limit it only to onions (no other veggie) and add freshly chopped garlic to the salsa.

[eleny]

5. The salsa sounds good

I usually make a mango salsa with just a little bit of the hot orange pepper, scallions, mango, cilantro and lime juice. But I'm always looking for something different and your recipe sounds easy to prepare, too.

[Beacool]

6. It's very easy.

If I'm making it for myself, I use only the onions because the tomatoes and peppers don't keep as well and I like to make enough to use for more than one day. My Ecuadorean friends make it all the time as they eat plenty of fish, the key to adding the other veggies is that they cut them very small. BTW, the salt rinse for the onions is to take away some of their edge and make them milder.

The onion and garlic version is not only great on boiled yucca, but also on most root veggies. Though the traditional "mojo" is only made with garlic, oil and lime juice.

Your mango version sounds delicious, I may have to try it.

Take care!

[yellerpup]

7. Yummy!

I am so into fish for the past few years. And platanos are heavenly although I've never made them myself. I got used to having them with Chinese food when we lived in the Washington Hgts. section of Manhattan. There were many restaurants offering either Chinese-Cuban or Chinese-Dominican cuisine in that area. I love any kind of fruity salsas with fish.