More on “Patacones” or “Tostones”
Here is an excerpt from a short article in the November, 2007 Food & Wine magazine. Page 48. Warren Schwartz posted this Chef Dispatch from Nicaragua about fried plantains or "Patacones".
Chef Warren Schwartz of Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel in Los Angeles is such a travel fanatic that he has a separate menu, “Warren’s Culinary Journal,” to showcase his finds. Here he reports on a trip to Nicaragua:
“Now that Costa Rica is so expensive, Nicaragua is the new frontier. I was in Las Salinas on a surf trip; the food was plain, but its simplicity made it exciting. Tostones (fried plantains) are served everywhere. They’re like a cross between a banana and a potato. I’m going to serve them just like they did at our hotel, La Gran Francia, in Granada (doubles from $105; 011-505-552-6000 or lagranfrancia.com): with fried fresh cheese, diced tomatoes and onions and hot sauce……”
re: Patacones Panama
I’m hooked on patacones also, having first tried them at the Canopy Tower in Panama. Since that first trip to Panama, I bought two plantain presses, one for flat patacones and the other one to make little baskets. A fun thing to serve with the little baskets is cerviche, which turns this seafood soup into a ‘finger food’. They are also great served with warmed salsa.
I agree with Chef Schwartz that Costa Rica has gotten expensive, but I highly recommend Panama.
Kelso Nov 20, 2007