Going Bananas

Plantano Arrostito in Secco con Cocco & Nutella

Dry-Roasted Coconut-Plantain & Nutella

I had bought this plantain on Saturday, planning on letting it ripen for a few days and then making some savory dish with it later this week. A curry or a soup. That was the plan... that was my intention and this is what might have happened, had I not suddenly had an overwhelming urge to eat something sweet this evening...

... and so I came up with the idea of making this yummy little snack for myself! Quick, fat-free and yummy, coconut-coated slices of banana yumminess... again- that was the plan. And then I thought to myself- go on, be a devil! You can see the pictures of course... so need I say more? ;-) No, I didn't think so!

There is no recipe involved in making this little treat- it is as simple as it looks. I simply cut the plantain into slices, on the diagonal, so that they would be nice and long and a little prettier and more fun to eat than simple round slices. 

The plantain has a slightly pinkish/orange color on the inside and was of course as sticky as all bananas are when sliced... which of course made it perfect for dipping into coconut flakes. Whilst I was doing that, I heated up a non-stick pan to a medium setting so that I would have a nice, constant temperature for cooking, and then laid out the first layer of slices and let them gently toast on the dry surface.

I didn't stir or fuss over the plantain slices at all, I let them sit still until I saw the outermost coconut flakes on the bottom of the plantain slices begin to brown and then I carefully flipped them over. During cooking, the plantain turns a lovely deep yellow color- which I would say is the sign that it is cooked enough. Keep the heat low though, because otherwise the coconut flakes will brown and begin to burn before the plantain slices have had a chance to warm through right to the center... it is worth the wait!

Obviously, you can only do as many slices as will fit into your frying pan as you can not have them lying on top of each other, so you will need to do this in a few steps. Simply toss out any of the loose coconut flakes that get too dark each time... nice and toasty is good- but burned is not!

This was 1 plantain in all and all it took in Nutella, to give it a nice, deliciously chocolate-hazelnut drizzle, was 1 teaspoonful, which I dropped into the frying pan after I had removed the last plantain slices and discarded any remaining, loose flakes of coconut. There was still enough residual heat in the pan to melt down the Nutella enough for it to be drizzled over the plantains. I am guessing you will use more if you try this- but I was a good boy- haha! No- seriously, I think that the amount that you are looking at in the photos is more than adequate, but of course as with all things that is a matter of taste.

But that is what I liked most about this- it was sweet but not too sweet, it was warm but not fried in fat, it was simple, it was delicious and it was eaten up more quickly than I would care to admit! Sometimes it can be so easy to make something good to indulge in- and this was almost good enough to serve as a dessert. Sometimes less is indeed more. And those are the times that I like best :-)