Plantain Cheese Empanadas ~ Platano Maduro Empanadas con Queso

Ingredients:
1 or 2 ripe plantains (soft usually with black skin)
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar or Splenda (optional)
1 or 2 tablespoon flour
Grated cheese for filling (I use queso blanco in Costa Rica and Mexican melting cheese in Houston. It's the closest thing I can find to the queso blanco we have in Costa Rica. Provolone or Jarlsburg would also be good sustitutes.)

Directions:
Boil plantains in water with a pinch of salt until very soft. Drain, peek and mash the plantains while still warm. Add egg and sugar. Sprinke flour over waxed paper. Take a heaping tablespoon full of the mashed plantain and shape it into a ball. Place it in the flour and press it down in a circle about ½" thick. Add a spoonful of cheese to the center of the circle, fold it over and pinch edges together. Make sure the flour is evenly coated. When all the empanadas have been formed, fry them in hot vegetable oil until they are golden brown.

Originally posted 2/11/08