I randomly decided I wanted to try plantains a few weeks ago and so I tracked one down (not hard actually…they’re at WFs) and then it sat in the fruit basket for over a week.
I thought it would be good fried for breakfast, like a potato, since it’s a starchy kind of thing. But I just never got around to it…and next thing I know it’s completely black and getting soft and (ack!) I needed to use it pronto.
Thanks to the “paleo world” there are plenty of plantain breads and recipes and such on the internet but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with it because I have been in such a rut with my pancake and sun butter obsession.
But eventually (finally…) I woke up craving a savory meal and jumped at the chance to use the plantain.
I used my bullet (but any blending device will work) to puree the plantain and then added two eggs and pulsed it some more until I had a well mixed batter. Added a pinch of salt for good measure and poured it into a greased pan.
Once it got bubbles on the top and started to appear cooked around the edges I put it in the oven (which I had pre-heated to 350 degrees F) for 10 minutes.
And then broiled it for another 2 minutes.
And voila!
Cut myself a slice and topped it with goat cheddar and a fried egg…and dug in.
And as it turns out, super ripe plantains are not a good pairing with cheese! It was sweet! And banana-ish in flavor! What the what? I thought plantains were like potatoes, not fruit!
Now I know.
P had a bite too and seemed to like it but I’m saving the rest for quick mornings. And you can be sure I’ll be topping the rest with sun butter, just like my beloved pancakes. Ha!
Two Ingredient Plantain Pancake [gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free]
Ingredients:
- 1 large black plantain
- 2 eggs
- [optional] pinch of salt
Directions:
Pre-heat over to 350 degrees F.
Puree plantain and then add eggs and pulse til batter is uniformly mixed.
Pour into a greased 10″ (oven safe) skillet and cook on low until bubbles form in the middle of the pancake and edge look mostly cooked. You can use a lid for part of this to speed it up.
Place skillet (without lid) in oven for ~10 minutes. For a bronzed top, broil for the last 2 minutes (keeping an eye on it because oven temps vary).
Remove and slice and serve.
It’s sturdy enough to hold it’s shape if you are picking it up to eat as a hand held breakfast, but probably couldn’t withstand being eaten with your hands with any toppings on it.
Maybe next time I’ll try a greener/yellower plantain and see if that would be the savory thing I was looking for. Maybe cheese would go on that!? Anyone have plantain knowledge to impart??
