Garlic Tostones with Hot Pepper Jelly
The most perfect bite you could imagine, these Garlic Tostones with Hot Pepper Jelly is the Southern x Caribbean mashup I never knew I needed.
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It’s late January and a snowstorm has shut down most of the PNW. Here, most of the city has been shut down for the past week due to an ice storm that dropped a solid sheet of ice enveloping the entirety of Portland. We were lucky not to lose power like some of our neighbors. Edison, on Tuesday of last week, took one step out of our front door and quickly face-planted into the ground. Our walks were inevitably cut short all week long, leaving us all inside to rot together. Storms are cozy for a day or two, a week not so much.
I was thrilled to be able to walk the seven blocks to the grocery store today without sliding and penguin-walking the entire way. I was equally thrilled to find three lonely plantains ready to be made into crispy tostones.
This recipe idea has been tucked away in the notes section on my phone for a few months. I’m no stranger to plantains. These starchy fruits are fantastic for not only tostones, I love making tortillas out of boiled plantains as well as sweet fried plantains. Such versatility.
Not all tostones are created equal. Some are thin and almost chewy and others are fluffy and crunchy. After trying various methods over the years I’ve found my favorite way to make them is by twice frying them and soaking them in a garlic salt water mixture in between frying sessions.
The result is an incredibly fluffy and crispy tostone that is anything but bland. The fluffy interior soaks up all the garlic goodness while the outside shatters with each bite.
While I usually serve up a side of tostones with any Caribbean-leaning meal, I had an idea for serving them with hot pepper jelly. It did not disappoint.
Hot Pepper Jelly is a Southern favorite. From slathering it on sandwiches and biscuits to glazing proteins and vegetables, it’s always delicious. The most classic way to serve hot pepper jelly is smeared onto a cracker with a bit of cream cheese. Coming in a variety of flavors made with different peppers and even fruits, pepper jelly is a truly versatile condiment that’s a bit between jam, jelly, or relish.
I’m partial to the neon green variety made with jalapeños and green food coloring. For my own recipe sans food coloring, because food is beautiful as is, I usually opt for a mixture of whatever peppers I have on hand. Some blend of serrano, habanero, jalapeño, Thai, and bell peppers is typical. As written below, you’ll see I used a mixture of all of those except Thai which are for some reason hard to find in Portland unless I make the trek across town to H-Mart.
This combo is spicy, just the way I adore it. If you want it to be milder, opt for using just jalapeños and bell peppers and maybe deseed the peppers. For those who like it hot, leave the seeds in. I use a food processor to chop the peppers so that my hands and eyes stay capsaicin-free. If you opt for chopping by hand, please do as I say and not as I do, and wear gloves.
If you want to take a semi-homemade approach, most grocery stores all over the US carry pepper jelly or relish. I have a jar from Trader Joe’s tucked in the fridge but alas, it’s not as flavorful or as spicy as I had hoped hence me making my own. If you’re vegan, make sure you find one made with fruit pectin and not gelatin.
For the cream cheese, my favorite dairy-free brand is Tofutti or Oatly. It’s the closest to the real deal, no cruelty needed.
I hope you enjoy this fusion of global and Southern flavors. Fusion food gets a bad rap sometimes but I adore leaning into my own culture just as much as exploring and appreciating others.
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the plantains and slice into 1” rounds.
- Heat about 1” of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add in the sliced plantain in a single layer – you may need to work in batches.
- Fry the plantains for about 2 minutes per side until starting to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside on a wire rack over a sheet pan to drain off the excess oil. Once all have been fried, turn off the heat to the pan.
- Using the back of a spatula or something with a flat bottom like a glass, squish the plantains down to about 1/4”.
- Place the hot water in a shallow bowl along with the garlic powder and garlic salt.
- Dip each flattened plantain into the water mixture and let soak for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer back to the wire rack.
- Turn the heat back on to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, refry the plantains until golden and crispy, about 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the wire rack to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Serve as-is or top with a smear of cream cheese and hot pepper jelly.
- Remove the stems from the peppers and place the peppers in a food processor. Pulse in 10-second increments until finely minced.
- Transfer the peppers to a pot along with the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the pectin and stir. Boil for 3 minutes then turn off the heat and let cool slightly before transferring to glass jars.
- Let the jars cool on the counter before transferring to the refrigerator. The jelly will thicken as it cools. I find it’s ready to eat in just a few hours. Store for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
