I am not sure if I have made it clear that I LOVE TO TRAVEL! I think I may have said that a few times in this blog already. I was afraid I was not going to be able to travel this year...afraid that I was going to break my momentum that I have had since 2005. Fortunately, and with some little luck, I was able to make it down to Joshabel's wedding in the Dominican Republic, sweet!
Most of my time was spent helping finalize the wedding, but after it was all over, we were able to take a day trip to a beach town. On our way there we stopped to purchase some fruit...oh, how lovely the colors! I went crazy taking pictures of the tantalizing and coquettish fruit! I think everyone thought I was insane..."hasn't she seen fresh fruit before?"
I have to admit that I became partially blinded, all I could see was the colorful fruit. No wonder I did not notice when Joshabel and Oscar purchased a mortar and pestle for me as a departing gift...sneaky!
As in all the Dominican Republic, music was blasting and the love birds would forget about all of us and just dance under the trees...very romantic! It made me miss my Tony...
Since I was a little girl I was addicted to mangoes. I can eat them all day long and thus I was given the nickname, the Mango Queen. Joshabel's dad saw how happy I got when I saw the mangoes so he bought me 10! He kept on offering me more and more to eat...my tummy just couldn't have any more. Now I wish I had one of those mangoes right in my hand! They tasted incredible!
So the mortar and pestle is used to make mofongo. It is a traditional dish from the Dominican Republic (they have it in Puerto Rico as well). It is made with fried plantain that is then mashed with chicharron (fried pork rind). This is the traditional mofongo, but it can also be made with garlic, shrimp, yucca, instead of plantain, etc... it is a delicious treat and I cannot wait until I make it at home...if only I could find the time to cook! (more on that on a later post).
Oh how I love the bright color of the mango! At the beach we were able to relax, take a dip in the water, and just enjoy each other's company. The family we visited made us some fried fish, garlic rice and tostones. It was delicious!!!!! I love fried fish and the best I have ever had has been at the beach here in the DR and in Puerto Vallarta. Both times local families have cooked the freshly caught fish for us.
I have a few dishes I want to try to make from the Dominican Republic...I guess I will start with the easiest one, tostones! This dish is made with green plantains that are twice fried. They are crunchy and go well with just about everything. I made an aioli sauce to dip the tostones in.
Tostones
2 unripe plantains
1/2 cup of oil
salt
Peel the plantain and cut into 1 inch thick slices. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and fry the plantains until golden brown. Flatten the plantains using the bottom of a flat glass (or anything with a flat surface). Fry the plantains again from 30-60 seconds on each side. Season with salt and serve.