Sweet and Spicy Maduros, Because Tostones Are A Pain in The Culo

Oh what a beautiful morning ... Not.

Worst morning I've had in a long time.  Usually the pain and  ennui wait until I've made my first cup of coffee, but this morning it was an immediate kick in the back followed by a small but well-defined anxiety attack.  It took me over an hour to get out of bed.  Hell, I've got a 3:00 PM appointment in Orlando, and I'm afraid I won't make it in time.

Oh happy day ... Not.  I'm not going to lie, I hurt like hell.

Today I want to prepare maduros, a Latino dish based on yellow plantains.  As you may know, a plantain looks like a banana but it is not a banana.  Last time I prepared these was 2011, and I just remember thinking they could have been better.  Turns out the plaintains were nowhere near as ripe as they should have been. I had the same problem with tostones, but that's another blog post.

Yellow plantains - faking ripe

Yellow plantains - perfectly ripe

Perfect plantain for making maduros

2 very ripe yellow plantains, (skin should be almost totally black) peeled and sliced on the bias
1/2 tablespoon of my seasoning blend (see below)
1/2 tablespoon of Paula Deen's Southern Spice Rub (see below)
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter
orange blossom honey
canola oil
1 medium jalapeño, seeds removed, sliced into thin rings
1 green onion, sliced diagonally
small amount all-purpose flour

Toss the plantains with the seasonings and the sugar, and let sit a few minutes while you melt the butter over medium high heat. Carefully add the plantains to the pan and cook until they are browned on all sides. Remove to a baking dish and drizzle with honey. Put the skillet off to the side for further use.

Prepare the crispy garnish:

To the skillet in which the maduros were cooked, add enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat the oil on medium high.  Toss the jalapeno and green onion slices in a littlle flour.  Fry in the hot canola oil until crispy. Remove to drain on a paper towel.  Scatter over the maduros just before serving.

Clyde Street Jalapeño 

My seasoning blend:
4 T kosher salt
1 T coarse black pepper
1 T granulated garlic
1 T onion powder
1/2 T white pepper (I like pepper, okay?)

Fried Promises

Paula Deen's Southern Spice Rub
2 T. ground cumin 
2 T. chili powder
1 T. ground coriander 
1 T. kosher salt 
2 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. ground cinnamon 
1/2 t. red pepper flakes

C'est Fini!