So, I got this idea stuck in my head the other day about Costa Rican appetizers. Dunno why, maybe saw something online or a friend mentioned their trip there ages ago. Anyway, I thought, heck, let’s try making some. Felt like a good little project for a slow afternoon.
First thing was figuring out what to make. Didn’t want anything too crazy complicated, you know? Just something simple, something you might actually get served casually over there. I landed on trying out patacones, those fried green plantain things. Seemed classic enough. And you gotta have something to dip ’em in or put on top, right? So I decided to whip up some pico de gallo as well. Fresh salsa, can’t go wrong.
Getting Started – The Ingredients Hunt
Right, so off to the store. Needed green plantains, the really green, hard ones, not the sweet yellow ones. Took a bit of digging to find some decent ones that weren’t bruised all over. Grabbed tomatoes, a big onion, cilantro, and a few limes for the pico de gallo. Oh, and oil for frying, lots of it. Already had salt.
- Green plantains (the greener the better!)
- Tomatoes
- Onion (white or red, whatever you like)
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Oil (vegetable or canola works)
- Salt
Making the Patacones – Fry, Smash, Fry Again!
Got back home, washed everything up. Dealing with those green plantains was the first job. Man, peeling them isn’t like peeling a banana. Had to score the peel down the sides with a knife and kinda pry it off. Took some muscle. Then I chopped the plantain into thick chunks, maybe an inch or so wide.
Got the oil heating up in a pan. Not super deep, but enough to cover the chunks halfway. Once it was hot enough (dropped a tiny piece in, it sizzled nicely), I carefully put the plantain chunks in. Fried them for a few minutes on each side, till they got a bit golden but not brown. Just softened up.
Took them out, let them drain on some paper towels. Now the fun part – smashing! I put a chunk between two pieces of parchment paper (or you can use a plate bottom or a special smasher thing if you have one) and pressed down hard. Flattened it into a nice disc. Did that for all the chunks. They looked kinda raggedy, but that’s how they’re supposed to look.
Then, back into the hot oil they went! Second fry. This time you want them to get really golden brown and crispy. Took another couple of minutes per side. Pulled them out, drained them again, and sprinkled salt on them right away while they were still hot. Done. The kitchen smelled pretty good, like fried goodness.
Whipping up the Pico de Gallo
While the patacones were cooling a bit, I got on the pico de gallo. This part’s easy peasy. Just chopping. Diced the tomatoes pretty small. Chopped up about half a big onion, tried not to cry too much. Chopped a good handful of cilantro. Tossed it all in a bowl.
Squeezed the juice of maybe one or two limes over everything. Added a pinch of salt. Gave it a good mix. Let it sit for a few minutes for the flavors to kinda hang out together. That fresh smell of lime and cilantro, man, that’s good stuff.
The Moment of Truth
Okay, so I piled the warm, crispy patacones onto a plate. Put the bowl of pico de gallo next to it. Looked pretty decent, actually! Grabbed a patacón, scooped up some pico de gallo. Crunch. Yeah, not bad at all. The salty, crispy plantain with the fresh, zesty salsa. It worked.
Was it exactly like being in Costa Rica? Probably not, but it felt like a decent homemade version. A couple of the patacones got a little too brown on the second fry, my bad. But mostly, they were crispy and tasty. Definitely filled that craving for something different.
Overall, a successful little experiment. Took a bit of effort with the double frying and smashing, but nothing too difficult. Worth doing if you want a simple, satisfying snack. Might try making some gallos next time, see how that goes.
